/ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

SANTA  BARBARA 

COLLEGE  OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 


DR. AND  MRS.H.O.KOEFOD 


/ 


a^rc/- 


J.cU^  /^^/^fd 


llDeroes  of  tbe  IRations. 


PER  VOLUME,  CLOTH,  $1.50.       HALF  MOROCCO,  $1.75. 


I. — Nelson,  and  the  Naval  Supremacy  of  England. 

By  W.  Clark  Rl'ssell,  author  of  "The  Wreck  of 
the  Grosvenor,"  etc. 
II. — Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  the  Struggle  of  Protest- 
antism for  Existence.     By  C.  R.  L.  Fletcher, 
.M.A.,  late  Fellow  of  All  Souls  College,  Oxford. 

III. — Pericles,  and  the  Golden  Age  of  Athens.  By 
EvF.LYN  Abbott,  M.A.,  Fellow  of  Balliol  College, 
Oxford. 

IV. — Theodoric  the  Goth,  the  Barbarian  Champion  of 

Civilization.      By   Thomas    IIodgkln,  author   of 

"Italy  and  Her  Invaders,"  etc. 
V. — Sir   Philip    Sidney  :   Type  of  English  Chivalry. 

By  II.  R.  Fo.\  Bourne. 
VI.— Julius  Caesar,  and  the  Organization  of  the  Roman 

Empire.     By   Warde  Fowler,   M.A.,    Fellow   of 

Lincoln  College,  Oxford. 

(For  titles  of  volumes  next  to  appear  and  for  further  details 
of  this  Series  see  prospectus  at  end  of  volume.) 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS,  Publishers, 

NEW    YORK   AND    LONDON 


Tbcroes  of  the  '^Aatiom 

EDITED    in- 
FELLOW   OK    HALLIOI.   COLLEGE,  iiXP(.>KD 


FACT^  DIJCI8  VI7ENT,  CPEIOSAQI'E 
GLORIA    RERUM. 0/ID,    IN    IIVIAM,   265. 

THE  HERO'S  DEED3  AND  HARD-WON 
FAME    SHALL    LIVE. 


NELSON 


EKf'^'^^t 


NELSON'S   SIGNAL   AT    TRAFALGAR. 


HORATIO  NELSON 


AND 


THE  NAVAL  SUPREMACY  OF  ENGLAND 


W.  CLARK    RUSSELL 

AUTHOR    Of"t11K    WRECK   OK    THE    GROSVHNOR,"    "tHE    lAVP,   OF    WILLIAM 
DAMI'lER,"     ETC. 


With  the  Collaboration  ok  William  II.  Jaques 

LATE    UNITED    STATES   NAVY,  M.  I.  AND    S.  INST.  M.E.,  ASSOC.  INST.  C.  E. 
ASSOC.    I.  N.  A. 


FOURTH   EDITION 


G.  P.   PUTNAM'S    SONS 

NEW   YORK  LONDON 

27  WEST  TWKNTV-THIRD    SIHKKl  .4     l;KDKORD    STREET,    STRAND 

8C^c  linitiurbochct  |)rcss 
1892 


COPYRIGHT,    1890,   HV 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

Knlercd  at  Stationers'   Hall,  I.ondor. 

BY  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 


■Cbc  "lintcherbocftcr  B>rc90,  IRcw  l3orft 

ElectrotypcJ,  Printed,  and  Bound  by 
G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORI 
SANTA  BARBATJA   ^O^r^E-^lE  1,1' 


is  hard  to  tell  what  has  or  has  not 
been  issued  in  the  shape  of  liter- 
ature during  the  past  forty  or 
fifty  years,  and  therefore  one  may 
not  say  positively  that  there  has 
been  no  life  of  Nelson  produced 
since  the  publication  of  the  first  vol- 
ume of  "  Nelson's  Dispatches  and  Let- 
ters "  by  Sir  N.  Harris  Nicolas  in  1S45. 
If  a  strong,  well-written  book  on  Nelson's 
career,  embodying  all  distinctive  and  important 
points  in  Nicolas  and  Pettigrew,  is  in  existence 
in  the  English  tongue,  it  is  unknown  to  me.  In 
my  hunt  after  materials  for  this  volume  I  have 
met  with  the  following :  the  rude  and  primitive 
biographies  of  White,  Charnock,  and  Churchill,  writ- 
ten very  shortly  after  Nelson's  death,  crowded  with 
inaccuracies  conveyed  in  the  diction  of  Grub  Street, 
and  plainly  designed  at  the  time  to  serve  as  catch- 
pennies ;  the  volumes  of  Clarke  and  M'Arthur,  which, 
though  it  be  necessary  to  refer  to  them  in  writing 
about  Nelson,  have  long  since  ceased  to  be  valued  as 
authoritative;  the  "  Life  "  by  Harrison,  that  is  no  bet- 
ter than  a  romantic  view  of  the  Hero  from  a  Dclla- 
Cruscan  or  Rosa-Matilda  standpoint,  a  book  inspired 


vi  Frtface. 

by  the  bad  taste  and  flighty  imagination  of  Lady 
Hamilton;  Southey's  little  \\ork ;  Pcttigrew,  who 
chiefl}'  concerns  himself  with  Lady  Hamilton  ;  and 
the  voluminous  collection  edited  by  Nicolas. 

Of  these  works,  Southey's  alone  remains  popular. 
This  is  owing  to  the  charm  of  its  style,  where  the 
author  writes  out  of  himself,  rather  than  to  the  in- 
formation it  communicates.  Southey  went  to  Clarke 
and  M'Arthur's  work  for  almost  all  he  had  to  tell, 
and  one  meets  Avith  passage  after  passage,  incor- 
porated by  him  out  of  the  older  biography,  with 
hardly  a  change  of  word. 

Since  Southey  wrote,  much  that  was  vague  and 
unsettled  about  Nelson  has  been  determined.  Many 
wild,  unjust,  or  unfair  statements,  such  as  may  be 
met  with  in  Brenton  and  in  others,  have  been  dis- 
proved. What  may  be  called  the  inner  life  of  Nelson 
has  been  freely  and  clearly  submitted — more  particu- 
larly by  Pettigrew,  whose  work  is  usefully  supple- 
mented by  the  researches  and  labour  of  that  accurate 
and  engaging  writer,  Mr.  J.  C.  Jeaffreson.  There 
seemed  room,  then,  for  a  new  popular  "  Life " ; 
indeed,  it  is  a  want.  Far  abler  hands  than  mine 
might  readily  have  been  found  ;  but  I  was  asked  to 
undertake  the  work.  I  thereupon  collected  all  that 
I  regarded  as  essential  to  a  clear  and  correct  portrait 
of  England's  greatest  admiral,  and  I  have  done  my 
best  with  the  materials  I  met  with. 

W.  Clark  Russell, 
February,  1890. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGB 

Birth — Rev.  Edmund  Nelson — Education — First  going  to  sea — 
The  sailor  of  the  last  century — Jervis  and  Collingwood — 
Dislike  of  the  navy — West  India  voyage — Polar  experiences 
— East  India  voyage — Impulse  of  patriotism  ...        I 

CHAPTER  II. 

Confidence  in  young  Nelson  —  Examination  for  lieutenant  — 
Captain  William  Locker — Sickly  constitution — Capture  of 
an  American  letter-of-marque — Career  in  the  West  Indies — 
Prince  William — Nicaragua  expedition — Residence  at  Bath 
— A  Baltic  cruise — Anecdote  of  the  Harmony — Lord  Hood,      13 

CHAPTER   III. 

Journey  to  France — Miss  Andrews — Captain  Alexander  Ball — 
Treatment  of  midshipmen — Seizures  under  the  Navigation 
Act — Mrs.  Moutray — Fanny  Nisbet — Anecdotes  of  Nelson 
— His  marriage — Disgusted  by  neglect  and  ill-treatment       .      27 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Long  period  of  inactivity — Vain  application  for  employment — 
Life  in  the  country — Asks  for  command  of  a  cockle-boat — 
Commissioned  to  the  Agamemnon — Sails  with  Lord  Hood's 
fleet — Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton — Anecdotes — Action 
off  Sardinia — Services  on  the  coast  of  Corsica — Confidence 
reposed  in  Nelson — Cession  of  Corsica  to  Great  Britain — 
Bastia  ..........     39 


viii  Contents. 

CHAPTER  V. 

PAGB 

Attack  on  Calvi — Nelson's  eye  hurt — Genoa — Newspaper  lies — 
A  cottage  ashore — Money-loss  through  services — Action  with 
French  fleet — The  Agamemnon  and  the  Qa  Ira — Nelson 
made  Colonel  of  Marines — Action  with  the  French  fleet — 
General  de  Vins — A  scandalous  accusation — A  seat  in  Parlia- 
ment offered  —  Evacuation  of  Corsica  —  Action  with  the 
Santa  Sabina       .........     53 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Arrival  at  Gibraltar — Chased  by  two  Spanish  liners — Narrow 
escape — In  the  thick  of  the  Spanish  fleet — Anecdote  of 
Jervis — Battle  of  St.  Vincent — The  San  Josef  and  the  San 
Nicolas — Their  capture  by  Nelson — Nelson's  explanation  of 
his  proceeding — The  action  considered         .         .         .         .66 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Rewards — Nelson's  Popularity  amongst  sailors — Cause  of  it — 
Hand-to-hand  fight  off  Cadiz — Project  against  Teneriffe — 
A  disastrous  blunder — Loss  of  his  arm — Courage  under  suf- 
fering— Anecdotes  of  the  surgical  operation — Troubridge  at 
Santa  Cruz — Nelson  sails  for  England — Lady  Nelson — An- 
ecdotes belonging  to  this  time — Character  of  his  wife — 
Memorializes  the  King — St.  Vincent's  letter  to  Lady  Ham- 
ilton— Nelson  proceeds  to  the  Mediterranean — A  heavy  gale 
of  wind — Public  opinion  on  St.  ^'incent's  choice  .         .         .76 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Pursuit  of  the  French  fleet — Anecdote  of  Lady  Hamilton — The 
fleet  weiglis  from  Syracuse — Discovery  of  French  fleet — 
Plans  of  attack — Nelson's  policy  of  instant  fighting — Battle 
of  the  Nile — Death  of  Admiral  Brueys — Explosion  of  L Ori- 
ent— Anecdotes  of  rescued  Frenchmen — The  Culloden  ashore 
— Nelson  wounded — Louis  of  the  Alinotaur  .  .  .93 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Comparative  force  of  the  two  fleets — Signal  but  extraordinary 
triumph — French  Remarks  on   the  battle — Captain   Hallo- 


Contents. 


well's  gift — Consequences  of  the  battle  of  the  Nile — Hon- 
ours and  gifts — Reception  of  the  news  at  Naples — Nelson's 
dislike  of  Naples — His  arrival  and  reception  by  the  King 
of  the  Two  Sicilies — Anecdote  of  the  Vanguard — The  Ham- 
iltons'  House — Festivities  at  Naples — Lady  Nelson's  un- 
easiness       ..........   io8 

CHAPTER  X. 
State  of  the  Kingdom  of  Naples — Precious  time  wasted — Malta 
taken  by  the  French — Saumarez  at  Valetta — General  Mack — 
Treachery  of  Neapolitan  officers — Flight  of  the  King  and 
Queen  from  Naples — The  voyage  to  Palermo — Influence  of 
Lady  Hamilton  over  Nelson — The  Vesuvian  Republic — 
Captain  Foote  and  the  rebel  capitidation — Cardinal  Ruffo    .    122 

CHAPTER  XL 
Caracciolo — His  trial  and  execution — Reappearance  of  the  body — 
Nelson's  gifts  to  his  family — Festivities — Nelson's  adhesion 
to  the  Sicilian  Court — Sir  Sidney  Smith — Captain  Ball  at 
Malta — Troubridge's  hatred  of  the  Court  of  Naples      .  -137 

CHAPTER  Xn. 
Action  with  Le  Gen^reux — Lieutenant  Parsons's  description  of  the 
fight — Lord  Cochrane  on  Nelson — Capture  of  Le  Guillaume 
Tell — Life  on  board  the  Foudroyant — Insurrection  at  Leg- 
horn— Incidents  of  Nelson's  journey  home — Arrival  in  Lon- 
don— Quarrel  with  Lady  Nelson — His  separation  from  her  .    150 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Honours — St.  Vincent's  Concern — Surrender  of  Malta — Case  of 
the  Freya — Attitude  of  Northern  powers — British  fleets  sent 
to  Copenhagen — The  Danish  defences — Anecdote  of  the 
Prince  of  Denmark's  aide-de-camp — Nelson  at  Admiral 
Parker's   council — Eve  of   the  action  .  .  .  .166 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

The  night  before  the  battle — Order  of  sailing — Stations  of  the 
British  ships — Remarkable  instance  of  heroism — Parker's 
signal  and  its  reception  by  Nelson — The  battle  described — A 


Contents. 


flag  of  truce — The  Ekphani  ashore — Nelson's  poetry — Story 
of  the  Zealand — Visit  to  the  Danish  prince — Danish  losses — 
Voung  Welmoes — Departure  of  the  fleet      .         .         .         .178 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Pursuit  of  the  fleet  in  a  boat — Blind  Mrs.  Nelson — Nelson  at 
Revel — Personal  habits — Investiture  of  Rear-Admiral  Graves 
— Rev.  W.  Nelson — No  medals  for  Copenhagen — Return  to 
England — Fears  of  invasion — In  the  Downs — Purchase  of 
Merton  Place — Death  of  Captain  Parker — Nelson's  irri- 
tability         199 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Political  speeches — St.  Vincent  on  Canada — Death  of  Rev.  E. 
Nelson — Nelson  and  the  Ilamiltons — Visit  to  Wales — War 
with  France — Buonaparte  and  Lord  Whitworth — Nelson's 
income — Deatli  of  Sir  Wm.  Hamilton — Appointed  Com- 
mander-in-cliief  on  the  Mediterranean  station — Letter  from 
the  King  of  Naples — Blockading — A  revolution  in  sea-affairs 
— Crazy  ships — Fears  for  his  eyesight — Bay  of  Palmas  .  217 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Recollections  of  Rev.  A.  J.  Scott — The  leathern  arm-chairs — 
Anecdote  of  a  midshipman — La  Touche-Treville — Continued 
illness — Ambition  to  be  Lord  High  Admiral — Anecdote — 
Tedious  blockading — Spanish  menace — Rich  cajiture — Sir 
John  Orde — Injurious  treatment  of  Nelson — French  fleet — 
Daring  navigation — Pursuit  of  the  French  across  the  Atlantic 
— Misled  by  Brereton — The  American  schooner — Two  years 
all  bat  ten  days  of  shipboard — Romantic  incident         .         .  23; 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Arrival  in  England — Sir  Arthur  Wellesley — George  III. — Lord 
.Sidmouth's  story — Keats's  anecdote  of  Nelson — Interview 
with  Blackwood — Lady  Hamilton's  fanciful  story — At  Ports- 
mouth— Junction  at  Cadiz — Strength  of  British  fleet — The 
combined  fleets — Beatty's  account  of  Nelson — Blackwood 
to  his  wife — Nelson  to  his  child — Weighing  of  the  enemy    .   257 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  grand  picture — Nelson's  men — His  dress  before  the  battle — 
His  prayer — Blackwood's  suggestion — The  famous  signal — 
Collingwood — The  Royal  Sovereign — Anecdote  of  Rotheram 
— The  Victory  in  action  —  Overwhelming  fire  —  Nelson 
wounded — Scene  of  the  cockpit — Nature  of  the  wound — 
Hardy —  Tenderness  of  nature  in  last  moments — "  Anchor, 
Hardy,  Anchor  ! " — Nelson's  death       ..... 


276 


CHAPTER  XX. 

After  the  battle — Cape  Trafalgar — Anecdote  of  theAchille — Fate 
of  the  Saniissiina  Trinidad — Fate  of  the  Redouiable — 
Effects  of  the  battle — Ney  on  the  invasion  of  England — 
Nelson's  remains — Arrival  at  Spithead — Appearance  of  the 
body — National  mourning — St.  Vincent's  grief — Honours 
to  Nelson's  family — Lady  Hamilton's  claims — Her  death — 
Nelson's  funeral — Conclusion       ......  300 

Appendix 317 

Index c        .        .        .        .  337 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


nelson's     signal      at      TRAFALGAR     (aFTER      THE 
ORIGINALS  IN  THE  UNITED  SERVICE  INSTITUTE, 

WHITEHALL,  LONDON )       .         .         .         Frontisfiecc 

DEATH    OF  NELSON,   1805    (fROM    THE    PAINTING    BY 

ERNEST    SLINGENEYEr)        .....  I 

BURNHAM    THORPE,    NELSON's    BIRTHPLACE         .             .  2 
CAPTAIN  MAURICE  SUCKLING,  R.  N.       (fROM  AN  OLD 

STEEL    ENGRAVING    BY    RIDLEy)  .  .  .12 

SIR    WILLIAM    HAMILTON                .....  42 
EMMA,     LADY     HAMILTON     (aFTER     A     PAINTING     BY 

romney)  ........  44 

view  of  bastia,  island  of  corsica    .         .         .  50 

LORD    HOTHAM'S    ACTION,    MARCH,     1 795  .             .             .  60 
THE    ''victory"  AND     THE  "  SALVADOR    DEL    MUN- 

DO."       ACTION    OFF    CAPE    ST.    VINCENT,     1 797    .  70 

nelson's    encounter    WITH    A    SPANISH    LAUNCH    .  78 

VIEW    OF    SANTA    CRUZ,    ISLAND    OF    TENERIFFE            .  80 

THE    BATTLE    OF    THE    NILE,    1 798      ....  lOO 

nelson's  monument,  ST.  Paul's,  london    .         .124 

CAPTURE    of    "  LE    GUILLAUME    TELL,"    1800     .             .  154 

nelson's    column,    TRAFALGAR    SQUARE,  LONDON  .  160 

THE    BATTLE    OF    COPENHAGEN,    1801           .             .             .  l8c 
LORD    NELSON,    K.E.    (aFTER    A    PAINTING    BY    A.    W. 

DEVIS) 202 

xiii 


XIV 


Illustrations. 


FAC-SIMILE    OF     LORD    NELSON  S   FIRST  LETTER  AS  ") 

A    PEER       .  .... 

FAC-SIMILE     OF    LADY     HAMILTON'S    ATTESTATION 

OF   IT 

SNUFF-BOX  MADE  FROM  THE  WOOD  OF  ''l'oRIENT  " 
MEDAL    FOR    THE    BATTLE    OF    THE    NILE 
FAC-SIMILE      OF     LORD     NELSON's     AUTOGRAPH      AT 

VARIOUS   PERIODS    OF    HIS   LIFE 
nelson's     MONUMENT      AT      LIVERPOOL    (fROM      AN 

OLD    engraving) 

THE  "victory"  breaking  THROUGH  THE  ENEMY's 

LINE    AT    THE   BATTLE    OF    TRAFALGAR,   1805 
THE     BATTLE     OF    TRAFALGAR,    1805.       (fROM    THE 

PAINTING    BY    C.    STANFIELd)     . 
SIR    THOMAS    MASTERMAN    HARDY,    BART.,    G.C.B. 
nelson's  WATCH  AND  SEAL  WORN  AT  TRAFALGAR 
FAC-SIMILE    OF    LORD    NELSOn's   STATEMENT  OF    HIS 

WOUNDS    

nelson's    PILLAR,    SACKVILLE    STREET,  DUBLIN 

H.  M.  S.    "  TRAFALGAR  " 

SECTION  OF  FRIGATE  ..... 

SECTION  OF  A  FLUSH-DECK  CORVETTE 
COEHORN   HOWITZER,   1805 — WEIGHT,  2\  CWT. 
CARRONADE,    THIRTY-TWO    POUND,    1779  —  WEIGHT 

17  CWT 

H.  M.  S.    "  victory" 


•04 


234 
254 

288 

290 
298 
299 

302 
310 
318 

322 
323 

325 
332 


HORATIO  NELSON 


Birth — Rev.  Edmund  Nelson — Education — First  go- 
ing to  sea — The  sailor  of  the  last  century — Jervis 
and  Collingwood — Dislike  of  the  navy — West  In- 
dian voyage — Polar  experiences — East  India  voyage 
— Impulse  of  patriotism. 


ORATIO  NELSON  was  born  on  the 
29th  of  September,  1758,  at  Burnham 
Thorpe,  Norfolk,  of  which  place  his 
father,  the  Reverend  Edmund  Nelson,  was  rector. 
A  singular  interest  inevitably  attaches  to  the  parents 
of  great  men.  What  was  their  character  ?  what  their 
talents,  disposition,  tastes?  to  what  degree  are  their 
illustrious  children  indebted  to  them  for  the  qualities 
which  rendered  them  great  ?  There  is  nothing  in 
Nelson's  genius  and  spirit  that  can  be  traced  to  his 
father.  The  Reverend  Edmund  appears  to  have  been 
a  plain  country  parson,  overwhelmed  with  children, 


2  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>tt.  9 

and  poor.  He  was  a  man  of  a  heavy  cast  of  piety, 
ponderous  in  opinion  and  sentiment,  constantly  pursu- 
ing his  son  with  unnecessary  admonitions,  and  taxing 
the  gravity  of  posterity  by  a  style  of  correspondence 
curiously  in  keeping  with  the  Avell-like  pews,  the 
Georgian  wigs,  and  the  drowsy,  insipid,  hour-and-a- 
half's  sermons  of  the  days  of  Porteus  and  Ilurd. 

He  was  of  a  weak  and  sickly  constitution,  and  this  he 
seems  to  have  bequeathed  to  Horatio.  But  the  influ- 
ence of  the  parson's  cottage-home  was  always  strong 
upon  Nelson.  "  He  was  a  thorough  clergyman's  son," 
his  chaplain.  Dr.  Scott,  would  in  after  years  say  of 
him  a  little  ambiguously.  "  I  should  think  he  never 
went  to  bed  or  got  up  without  kneeling  down  and 
saying  his  prayers."*  His  mother  was  a  daughter 
of  Maurice  Suckling,  a  Prebendary  of  Westminster, 
whose  grandmother,  as  Nelson  tells  us  himself  in  his 
"  Memoir  of  his  Services,"  was  sister  to  Sir  Robert 
Walpole,  Earl  of  Orford.  There  was  some  fighting 
spirit  on  his  mother's  side.  Galfridus  Walpole 
commanded  the  Lion,  of  sixty  guns,  in  a  gallant 
action  in  the  Mediterranean  in  171 1,  and  his  sword 
came  to  Horatio  Nelson  from  his  uncle,  Captain 
Suckling.  Mrs.  Nelson  died  when  her  son  was  nine. 
It  is  scarcely  to  be  supposed  that  the  memory  of 
such  influence  as  she  might  have  exerted  was  of 
much  account  in  the  formation  of  his  character. 
The  Nelson  Correspondence  is  very  voluminous,  as 
all  know  who  have  had  occasion  to  refer  to  the 
Nicolas  Collection  ;  but  nowhere  that  I  can  remem- 
ber docs  he  speak  of  his  mother,  save  in  that  brief 

*  "  Recollections  of  the  Life  of  the  R»^v.  A.  J.  Scott,  D.D.,"  p.  igi. 


.  -i 


1758-761  Education. 


mention  of  her  name  in  the  sketch  of  his  life  which 
he  sent  in  1799  to  John  M'Arthur.* 

Nelson's  biographers  have  collected  little  as  to 
his  early  education.  He  was  at  the  High  School 
at  Norwich,  and  afterwards  went  to  a  school  at 
North  Walsham;  but  what  he  knew  he  seems  to 
have  himself  wholly  acquired,  as  may  be  gathered 
from  a  statement  made  by  the  Duke  of  Clarence 
long  years  afterwards,  when  in  comparing  Nelson 
with  ColHngwood,  he  spoke  of  the  former  as  being 
entirely  self-taught,  whereas  ColHngwood,  the  Prince 
said,  entered  the  Service  well  equipped  by  the  school- 
master. The  few  anecdotes  of  the  lad  belonging  to 
this  period  were  years  ago  worn  threadbare.  Who 
has  not  heard  how  he  told  his  grandmother,  when 
she  expressed  wonder  that  fear  did  not  drive  him 
home,  that  "  Fear  never  came  near  him"  ?  how  he 
plundered  a  pear-tree  without  partaking  of  the 
booty,  entering  upon  the  adventure  only  because 
every  other  boy  was  afraid  ?  These  and  one  or  two 
other  like  stories  are  recorded  by  all  Nelson's  bi- 
ographers with  a  striking  unanimity  of  complacent 
approval.  One  wishes  them  true  if  merely  as  curiosi- 
ties of  biographic  literature  ;  but  unhappily  they  are 
so  varied  in  the  telling  that  it  is  difificult  not  to  sus- 
pect their  authenticity.     Much  has  been   put  into 

*  And  (though  it  is  not  to  the  point)  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  AUott, 
Dean  of  Raphoe,  14th  May,  1804  :  "  Most  probably  I  shall  never  see 
(i?ar,  dear  Burnham  again  ;  but  I  have  a  satisfaction  in  thinking  that 
my  bones  will  probably  be  laid  with  my  father's  in  the  village  that 
gave  me  birth.  Pardon  this  digression  ;  but  the  thought  of  former 
days  brings  all  my  mother  into  my  heart,  which  shows  itself  in  my 
eyes." — "  Dispatches  and  Letters,''  vol.  vi.,  p.  i8. 


4  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7i.  t>Et.  11 

Nelson's  mouth  which  no  man  who  has  any  acquaint- 
ance with  the  nautical  character,  but  must  feel  con- 
vinced this  Hero,  who  was  a  Sailor  before  all  things, 
never  could  have  uttered.*  From  the  period  of 
his  school-days  down  to  Trafalgar  and  the  cockpit 
of  the  Victory  he  has  been  mclodramatised,  from 
White  to  Pettigrew,  and  from  Charnock  to  Lieuten- 
ant Parsons. 

Captain  Manby,  well  known  in  his  time  for 
various  nautical  inventions,  was  at  school  with 
Nelson  at  Downham  Market,  and  he  would  speak 
of  him  as  a  lad  who  wore  a  green  coat  and  who 
set  the  market  pump  going  that  he  might  launch 
paper  boats  in  the  gutter.  An  instance  of  his 
extreme  sensibility  as  a  child  is  given.  One  day 
on  entering  a  shoemaker's  shop  he  accidentally 
jammed  a  pet  lamb  in  thrusting  open  the  door  and 
cried  bitterly  at  the  pain  he  had  caused  the  little 
animal.  A  Mr.  Lcvctt  Hanson,  writing  to  Nelson 
from  Hamburg  in  1802,  embodies  in  an  odd,  flippant 
letter  some  recollections  of  Horatio  as  a  schoolboy. 
"  I  well  remember,"  he  says,  "  where  you  sat  in  the 
school-room.  Your  station  was  against  the  wall 
between  the  parlour  door  and  the  chimney:  the 
latter  to  your  right.  From  1769  to  1771  we  were 
ojiposites.  Nor  do  I  forget  that  we  were  under  the 
lash  of  Classic  Jones,  as  arrant  a  Welshman  as 
Rees-ap-Griffith,  and  as  keen  a  flogger  as  Merciless 
Busby  of  birch-loving  memory  !  "  f  This  school  thus 
referred  to  was  at   North  Walsham,  where   Nelson 

*  See  in  particular  Harrison's  "  Life  of  Nelson." 
f  Pettigrew.     Vol.  ii.,  p.  263. 


1758-76]  Permission  to  go  to  Sea.  5 

remained  until  the  Spring  of  1771.  Towards  the  close 
of  the  previous  year  he  had  read  in  a  county  paper 
that  his  mother's  brother,  Captain  Maurice  Suck- 
ling, was  appointed  to  the  Raisonnable  of  sixty-four 
guns.  The  lad  had  asked  his  brother  William  to 
write  to  his  father  at  Bath  and  obtain  his  permission 
to  go  to  sea  with  Uncle  Maurice.  Gruff  Captain 
Suckling,  on  receiving  the  Reverend  Edmund 
Nelson's  letter,  answered  thus:  "What  has  poor 
Horace  done,  who  is  so  weak,  that  he  above  all  the 
rest  should  be  sent  to  rough  it  out  at  sea  ?  But  let 
him  come  ;  and  the  first  time  we  go  into  action,  a 
cannon-ball  may  knock  off  his  head,  and  provide  for 
him  at  once." 

The  Raisomiable  was  not  ready  for  sea  until  the 
Spring  of  1771.  Young  Nelson  had  returned  to 
school  with  his  brother  William,  and  there  he 
stayed  ;  until  one  cold,  dark  morning  there  arrived 
a  servant  from  the  Reverend  Mr.  Nelson  to  bring 
him  home  that  he  might  be  got  ready  to  start  as  a 
sailor.  He  was  provided  with  a  slender  outfit,  and 
was  then  accompanied  by  his  father  to  London, 
where  he  was  left  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  to  the 
sixty-four-gun  ship  lying  off  Chatham.  Nelson  in 
after  times  would  often  recall  the  wretchedness  of 
his  childish  heart  as  he  wandered  about  in  search 
of  the  ship.  It  was  a  grey,  melancholy  day,  sharp 
with  the  frost  of  an  expiring  Winter.  As  the  little 
fellow  roamed  here  and  there,  shivering  in  his  jacket 
and  bewildered  by  the  novelty  of  the  scene  of  ship- 
ping, and  darkling  river,  and  noisy,  bawling  Jacks, 
and  the  many   delectable  sights  and  smells  of  the 


6  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>ct.  13 

dockyard,  he  was  observed  by  a  naval  officer,  who, 
happening  to  know  Captain  Suckling,  took  him 
home  and  gave  the  hungry  little  fellow  some  dinner. 
The  captain  did  not  arrive  until  several  da)'s  after  his 
nephew  had  joined  the  ship,  and  the  lad  found  him- 
self in  his  floating  home  without  a  soul  who  knew 
him  to  offer  him  a  word  of  sympathy  or  to  do  him  a 
single  kindness. 

Shipboard  life  in  the  days  of  the  beginning  of 
Nelson's  career  was  very  much  as  it  was  when 
Roderick  Random  was  being  poisoned  by  the 
fumes  of  the  sick  quarters  of  his  man-of-war,  and 
when  his  associate  was  being  driven  by  famine  to 
rob  his  Welsh  colleague  of  his  onions  and  bread. 
Little  Nelson,  fresh  from  school  or  the  pastoral 
simplicity  of  his  father's  rectorial  cottage,  might 
well  gaze  with  amazement  round  upon  the  scene 
into  which  Captain  Suckling  had  been  solicited  to 
introduce  him.  There  would  be  all  the  smartness 
of  almond-white  decks,  the  imposing  grimness  of 
lines  of  black  and  grinning  ordnance,  the  beauty  of 
airy  heights  of  an  exquisitely  symmetrical  fabric  of 
spars  and  sails  and  rigging ;  there  would  also  be  no 
lack  of  delight  to  the  boy's  eyes  in  the  spectacle  of 
the  rcil  muzzles  of  the  guns,  in  the  white  tompions, 
in  the  petticoat  trousers  of  the  sailors,  in  the  long 
tails  tied  down  their  backs ;  but  below — at  least  in 
that  part  of  the  ship  which  was  the  destined  habi- 
tation of  the  boy — everything  was  dirt  and  gloom, 
smell  and  misery.  The  English  sailor  was  in  those 
days  at  the  very  height  of  his  roughness  and  bru- 
tal'^y.     His  back  was  scored,  with  the  lash  ;  his  skull 


1758-76]  yervisand  Collingwood,  y 

was  in  holes  from  the  bludgeons  of  the  pressgang; 
the  salt  beef  of  the  service  had  penetrated  his  soul, 
and  his  sensibilities  were  as  hard  as  the  most 
fossilised  of  the  contents  of  the  harness-cask.  No 
fancy  could  be  more  impressive  to  the  imagination 
than  the  picture  of  the  little  lonely  child  Nelson, 
emaciated  by  repeated  attacks  of  ague,  his  heart 
yearning  towards  his  far-off  inland  home,  friendlessly 
pacing  the  broad  quarter-deck  of  the  lumbering 
sixty-four-gun  ship,  directing  his  eyes  brilliant 
with  intellect  and  astonishment  at  the  novel  sights 
which  lay  about  him.  "  The  filial  tenderness  of  his 
heart,"  one  of  his  biographers  says,  "  at  first  required 
a  solace  which  it  did  not  find."  * 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  introduction  to  the  sea- 
life  of  two  other  boys  who  subsequently  rose  to  very 
nearly  the  level  of  Nelson  as  great  sea-captains,  was 
as  damping  and  killing  to  the  spirits  as  that  of 
Horatio.  John  Jervis,  the  famous  Earl  of  St.  Vin- 
cent, gave  such  an  account  to  Captain  Brenton  of 
his  first  reception  on  board  ship  that  his  biographer 
owns  himself  incapable  of  repeating  it.  "  I  have  too 
much  respect,"  he  says,  "  for  my  readers,  to  describe 
the  scene  which  his  Lordship  presented  to  me,  in  a 
very  few  words,  but  in  his  clear  and  emphatic  manner. 
Sufifice  it  to  say,  that  in  point  of  gross  immorality 
and  vice,  it  equalled  or  outdid  anything  described 
by  Smollett  in  his  'Roderick  Random.'  "f  It  is 
told  of  Lord  Collingwood  that  when  he  first  went  to 
sea  he  sat  down  crying  bitterly  over  his  separation 

*  Clarke  and  M'Arthur.    Vol.  i.,  p.  i6. 

f  Brenton's  "  Life  of  St.  Vincent,"  vol.  i.,  p.  19. 


8  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.  [ytt.  13 

from  home,  and  such  was  his  childish  misery  and  his 
desire  for  compassion  and  sympathy  that,  on  the  first 
lieutenant  accosting  him  with  some  little  show  of 
kindness,  he  was  so  affected  that  in  his  gratitude  he 
invited  the  ofificer  to  accompany  him  to  his  sea- 
chest,  out  of  which  he  took  a  large  piece  of  plum- 
cake  which  he  presented  to  the  lieutenant.* 

Nelson  saw  very  little  of  sea-life  aboard  the  Raison- 
nable.  She  remained  but  a  short  time  in  commission, 
and  Suckling  was  then  appointed  to  the  Triumph, 
of  seventy-four  guns,  stationed  as  a  guard-ship  in  the 
Medway.  Here  was  a  condition  of  inactivity  that  was 
little  likely  to  suit  the  restless  spirit  of  young  Nel- 
son; and  whether  through  his  own  importunity  or 
through  the  judgment  of  his  father  or  of  Captain 
Suckling,  he  went  on  a  West  Indian  voyage  in  a 
small  ship  in  command  of  Mr.  John  Rathbone,  who 
had  served  as  master's  mate  under  Captain  Suckling. 
Referring  to  this  voyage,  Nelson  himself  says:  "If 
I  did  not  improve  in  my  education,  I  came  back  a 
practical  seaman,  Avith  a  horror  of  the  Royal  Navy 
and  with  a  saying  then  constant  with  a  seaman, 
'Aft  the  most  honour,  forward  the  better  man!' 
It  was  many  weeks  before  I  got  in  the  least  recon- 
ciled to  a  man-of-war,  so  deep  was  the  prejudice 
rooted  ;  and  what  pains  were  taken  to  instil  this 
erroneous  principle  ni  a  young  mind  !  "  In  truth  the 
Navy  was  never  a  popular  service  with  sailors.  In 
Nelson's  time  particularly,  the  discipline  was  atro- 
ciously taut,  the  punishments  cruel  above  expression, 
the  food  infamously  bad  ;  and  there  was  no  better 

*  "  Collinj^wood'b  Correspondence,"  p.  6. 


1758-76]  West  Indian  Voyage.  9 

temptation  to  enter  than  prize-money,  of  which 
the  seamen  were  remorselessly  plundered  by  the 
agents.  In  the  Merchant  Service  there  was  freedom. 
A  man  signed  for  a  voyage  and  then  he  was  his  own 
master  again.  Those  amongst  Nelson's  biographers 
who  were  not  sailors  are  astonished  that  he  should 
for  one  instant  have  formed  a  higher  opinion  of  the 
Merchant  Service  than  the  Royal  Navy.  The  real 
wonder  would  have  been  had  his  taste  inclined  the 
other  way,  seeing  that  everything  agreeable  to  the 
sailor  was  on  the  side  of  the  Red  Flag,  difference  of 
wages  being  foremost. 

Although  it  is  certain  that  Nelson  knew  how  to 
miss  stays  in  putting  a  ship  about,*  there  can  be  no 
question  that  this  West  Indian  voyage  made  a 
thorough  sailor  of  him.  A  little  West  Indiaman 
of  those  days  provided  such  an  ocean-school  as  even 
the  forecastle  of  a  North  Country  collier  could  not 
supply.  He  arrived  home  a  brown  and  tarry  lad, 
"■  every  hair  a  rope-yarn,  every  finger  a  fish-hook,"  and 
repaired  on  board  his  uncle's  ship,  the  Triumph 
(July,  1772).  Suckling  finding  him  full  of  prejudices 
against  the  Navy,  sought  to  coax  him  into  a  regard 
for  it  by  giving  him  plenty  of  small  but  interesting 
work  to  do,  with  promise  of  a  sort  of  promotion, 
such  as  making  one  of  the  crew  of  the  cutter  and 
decked  long-boat,  provided,  as  Nelson  himself  says, 
"he  attended  well  to  his  navigation."  Thus  he 
spent  the  time  in  learning  the  trick  of  piloting  from 


*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  299.  By  "  missing  stays  "  is 
signified  a  posture  of  a  ship  in  the  act  of  tacking  :  instead  of  coming 
round  into  the  wind,  she  halts,  or  falls  off. 


lo  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelsofi.  \Kx.\b 

Chatham  to  the  North  Foreland  till  the  year  1773, 
when  there  was  set  on  foot  a  scheme,  due  to  an 
application  from  the  Royal  Society,  to  equip  and 
despatch  a  couple  of  vessels  on  a  Polar  voyage. 
The  two  craft  were  the  Racehorse,  Captain  Constan- 
tine  John  Phipps,  and  the  Carcass,  Skeffington  Lud- 
widge.  Nelson  went  as  coxswain  to  Ludwidge.  He 
could  obtain  a  footing  in  no  other  station,  boys 
being  prohibited  by  the  Admiralty  from  serving  in 
the  voyage  to  the  North  Pole.  He  would  hardly  be 
sensible  of  any  degradation  in  this,  how^ever,  after 
having  been  rated  as  "Captain's  servant  "  for  above 
a  year  aboard  the  Triumph;  though  to  be  sure  in 
the  same  ship  he  was  raised  to  midshipman,  which 
position  Pettigrew  is  careful  to  tell  us  he  filled  for 
ten  months,  one  week,  and  five  days. 

Nelson's  Polar  experiences  are  of  little  interest ; 
they  contributed,  however,  to  the  formation  of  his 
unparalleled  sea  character.  It  was  a  wide  range  in 
those  ambling  limited  days  from  the  fiery  suns  of  the 
Antilles  to  the  frozen  silence  of  the  Northern  lights. 
Here  occurred  the  well-known  incident  of  his  wan- 
dering from  the  ship  in  pursuit  of  a  bear,  that  he 
might  obtain  the  skin  of  the  animal  for  his  father. 
But  it  needed  Aboukir  and  Copenhagen  and  Trafal- 
gar to  render  this  illustration  of  the  character  of  a 
sailor  lad  in  the  least  degree  significant. 

The  Racehorse  and  Carcass  returned  to  England 
and  were  paid  off  in  October,  1773.  Horatio  was 
now  fifteen  years  old,  but  he  was  already  possessed 
of  the  complete  knowledge  of  an  able  seaman,  and 
needed    nothing   but   a  course   of  active   service  to 


1758-76]         Promoted  to  Midshipman.  1 1 

qualify  him  in  almost  every  experience  that  was  in 
those  days  to  be  got  out  of  the  ocean.  Suckling,  al- 
ways his  warm  well-wisher  and  friend,  recommended 
him  to  Captain  Farmer,  of  the  Seahorse,  twenty 
guns,  belonging  to  the  squadron  about  to  sail  for  the 
East  Indies  under  Admiral  Hughes.  Naval  ratings 
in  those  days  were  a  little  perplexing.  Clarke  and 
M'Arthur  inform  us  that  Nelson  was  stationed  in 
the  foretop  of  the  Seahorse  at  watch  and  watch,  as 
it  is  termed,  by  which  we  are  to  take  it  that  he 
embarked  as  a  foremast  hand.  It  was  not  long 
before  Farmer  noticed  the  lad's  smartness  and  at- 
tention to  his  duties,  and  during  the  voyage  out  he 
called  him  on  to  the  quarter-deck  and  rated  him  as 
midshipman.  He  was  now  a  naval  ofificer,  and  was 
frequently  suffered  by  the  lieutenant  of  the  watch 
to  manoeuvre  the  ship  even  to  the  extent  of  putting 
her  about,  and  in  other  ways  he  was  allowed  to  give 
orders  as  though  indeed  he  were  himself  a  lieuten- 
ant.* By  this  time  all  the  effects  of  his  frequent 
attacks  of  ague  had  disappeared  ;  he  was  no  longer 
the  meagre,  sickly  lad  that  had  wandered  about  in 
search  of  his  ship  at  Chatham,  but  a  boy  of  a  florid 
countenance,  stout  and  athletic,  with  a  deep  sea  i oil 
in  his  gait  and  the  liveliest  of  hearties  aloft. 

His  East  India  experiences  were  wide ;  they 
ranged  from  Bengal  to  Bassorah  ;  but  eighteen  months 
of  that  climate  proved  too  much  for  him.  He  was 
seized  with  a  malignant  disorder  which  reduced  him 
to  a  mere  skeleton  and  brought  him  very  near  to 
his   grave.     Admiral    Hughes,    the   Commander-in- 

*  Clarke  and  M'Arthur.    Vol.  i.,  p.  23. 


12  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         r^t.  18 

chief,  believing  the  lad  to  be  dying,  sent  him  home 
in  the  Dolphin,  ^vhich  sailed  from  India  in  1776. 
By  Hughes  the  life  of  Nelson  was  undoubtedly 
saved.  The  ship-doctors  could  do  nothing  for  him, 
and  England  in  the  hour  of  her  need  must  have  been 
without  the  greatest  of  her  sea-captains  but  for  this 
timely,  compassionate  act  of  Sir  Richard  Hughes. 
The  passage  home  was  long  and  tedious.  Sickness, 
the  uncertainty  of  his  future,  the  sense  of  his  friend- 
lessness,  in  a  professional  sense,  weighed  heavily  upon 
young  Nelson's  mind,  and  for  days  at  a  time  he  was 
bowed  down  by  fits  of  crushing  despondency.  "  I 
felt  impressed,"  he  says,  "  with  an  idea  that  I  should 
never  rise  in  my  profession.  My  mind  was  stag- 
gered with  a  view  of  the  difficulties  I  had  to  sur- 
mount and  the  little  interest  I  possessed.  I  could 
discover  no  means  of  reaching  the  object  of  my 
ambition.  After  a  long  and  gloomy  reverie,  in 
which  I  almost  wished  myself  overboard,  a  sudden 
flow  of  patriotism  was  kindled  within  me  and  pre- 
sented my  king  and  country  as  my  patrons.  M)'  mind 
exulted  in  the  idea.  '  Well  then,'  I  exclaimed,  *  I 
will  be  a  hero,  and,  confiding  in  Providence,  I  will 
brave  every  danger.'  "  This  resolution  to  do,  begot- 
ten in  a  moment  of  wretchedness,  became  the  noble, 
animating,  enduring  impulse  of  his  glorious  mind. 
It  never  failed  him.  It  was  an  ever-growing  passion. 
Nay,  to  his  fervid  imagination  it  seemed  a  thing 
embodied,  indeed  ;  for  he  would  often  declare  to 
his  friend  Hardy,  that  from  that  hour  there  was 
suspended  before  his  mind's  eye  a  radiant  orb  that 
courted  him  onward  to  renown. 


CAPTAIN    MAURICE   SUCKLING,   R.N. 
FROM     AN     OLD    STEEL     ENGRAVING     BY     RIDLEY. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Confidence  in  young  Nelson — Examination  for  lieutenant — Cap- 
tain William  Locker — Sickly  constitution — Capture  of  an  Ameri- 
can    letter-of-marque  —  Career     in     the     West     Indies — Prince 


r\ 


William — Nic- 
aragua expe- 
dition —  Resi- 
dence at  Bath 
—A  Baltic 
cruise —  Anec- 
dote of  the 
//a  r  in  o  ny  — 
Lord  Hood. 


APTAIN  SUCKL[NG,  who  had 
always  been  Nelson's  friend,  was 
now  an  influence,  for  in  1775,  dur- 
ing his  nephew's  absence,  he  had 
succeeded  Sir  Hugh  Palisser  as 
Comptroller  of  the  Navy,  and  thanks  to  his  uncle's 
generous  offices,  young  Nelson,  after  the  Dolphin 
had  been  paid  off,  found  immediate  employment 
as  Fourth  Lieutenant  of  the  Worcester,  a  ship  of 
sixty-four  guns,   commanded   by   Mark  Robinson.* 

*  The  fact  indicated  in  the  following  anecdote  belongs  to  this 
period,  though  I  am  unable  to  fit  it :  "  Lord  Nelson  says  that  when 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  won  £100  at  a  gaming-table  ;  but 
he  was  so  shocked  on  reflecting  that,  had  he  lost  them,  he  should  not 
have  known  how  to  pay  them,  that  from  that  time  to  this  (lygg)  he 
has  never  played  again." — "  Autobiography  of  Miss  Cornelia  Knight," 
vol.  ii.,  p.  286. 


14  The  Life  of  Horatio  Ahlson.  [^t.  19 

In  this  vessel  he  went  to  Gibraltar,  and  there  was 
none  of  his  early  voyages  which  he  recalled  with  more 
pleasure.  Mark  Robinson  was  a  kind  and  a  wise 
captain ;  he  saw  much  in  young  Nelson  that  pleased 
and  impressed  him  ;  he  gave  all  possible  encourage- 
ment to  his  youthful  abilities,  and  Nelson  afterwards 
proudly  recorded  the  confidence  that  the  commander 
reposed  in  him.  "  Although  my  age  might  have 
been  a  sufificient  cause  for  not  entrusting  me  with 
the  charge  of  a  watch,  yet  Captain  Robinson  used  to 
say  he  felt  as  easy  when  I  was  up  on  deck  as  any 
Officer  in  the  ship." 

He  passed  his  examination  for  lieutenant  on  the 
9th  of  April,  1777,  being  then  nineteen  years  of  age. 
Captain  Suckling  was  at  the  head  of  the  Board  be- 
fore which  the  young  man  appeared.  Nelson  entered 
the  room  nervously,  but  answered  the  questions  put 
to  him  rapidly  and  with  great  intelligence.  When 
the  examination  was  ended,  Captain  Suckling  rose 
and  introduced  the  youth  to  his  brother  examiners 
as  his  nephew.  "  Why  did  not  you  tell  us  this  be- 
fore ?  "  was  asked.  "  Because,"  answered  the  honest 
old  sailor,  "  I  did  not  wish  the  younker  to  be 
favoured  ;  I  felt  convinced  that  he  would  pass  a 
good  examination  and,  gentlemen,  you  see  I  have 
not  been  disappointed."  The  result  of  this  examina- 
tion was  his  prompt  appointment  next  day  as  Second 
Lieutenant  to  \}i\Q  Lowestoffe  {x'\^7}Xq.,  thirty-two  guns, 
of  which  William  Locker  was  the  captain. 

Of  all  Nelson's  professional  friends,  Locker  was 
the  most  valued.  The  hearty  qualities,  the  fine, 
genial,  manly  character  of  this  seaman  are  visible  in 


1776-82]  First  Lieutenant  of  the ''Lawestoffe!'      15 

the  round,  large-eyed  face  that  looks  out  from  his 
well  known  printed  likeness.  Nelson  was  never 
weary  of  declaring  that  he  owed  his  advancement, 
his  glorious  successes,  indeed,  to  the  training  he 
received  from  William  Locker,  to  his  association 
with  him,  to  his  repeated  advice,  admonitions,  in- 
struction in  all  that  his  large  experience  qualified 
him  to  communicate. 

The  ill-health  that  harassed  without  ever  hinder- 
ing him  throughout  his  life  pressed  at  this  time 
heavily  on  Nelson.  Having  joined  the  Lowestoffe, 
he  was  ordered  to  take  the  place  of  the  first  lieu- 
tenant (who  was  absent)  at  the  rendezvous  for 
pressed  men,  that  was  at  that  time  near  the  Tower. 
His  friend  Lieutenant  Bromwich,  then  a  midshipman, 
would  afterwards  tell  that  Nelson  was  so  extremely 
ill,  that  one  cold  night  whilst  they  were  on  duty  to- 
gether at  the  Tower,  he  had  to  take  him  on  his  back 
and  carry  him  to  the  rendezvous,  and  it  was  sometime 
doubtful  whether  he  would  recover  from  the  swoon 
into  which  he  had  fallen.*  His  West  Indian  career 
begins  with  his  arrival  in  the  Lowestoffe,  on  the  4th 
of  July,  1777,  at  Carlisle  Bay,  Barbadoes.  He  is 
said  to  have  first  won  Locker's  heart  by  an  instance 
of  intrepid  resolution  which  is  thus  related.  The 
Lowestoffe  fell  in  with  an  American  letter-of-marque. 
The  first  lieutenant  was  ordered  aboard  her,  "  but 
the  sea  ran  so  high,"  says  Pettigrew,  "  that  he  was 
unable  to  reach  her,  and  he  returned  to  the  frigate." 
Locker  warmly  inquired  whether  there  was  not  an 
officer  on  board  his  ship  capable  of  taking  possession 

*  Clarke  and  M' Arthur.     Vol.  i.,  p.  25. 


1 6  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [/Et.  19 

of  the  prize.  The  Master  offered,  but  Nelson,  push- 
ing forward,  exclaimed :  "  No,  it  is  my  turn  now.  If 
I  come  back  it  will  be  yours."  He  jumped  into  the 
boat,  and  after  a  hard  tussle  got  aboard,  but  the  sea 
was  so  heavy  and  the  prize  lay  so  deep  that  his  boat 
was  washed  right  over  the  Yankee,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  he  could  make  good  his  entrance. 
Bromwich,  however,  who  told  the  story,  declared 
that  the  first  lieutenant  never  left  the  frigate.  He 
had  gone  below  for  his  hanger,  which  he  could  not 
immediately  find,  and  Locker,  losing  patience,  cried 
out  as  we  have  read.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  achieve- 
ment was  Nelson's  ;  but  it  is  scarcely  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  long  prior  to  this  Captain  Locker  had 
not  witnessed  enough  in  the  bearing,  the  conversa- 
tion, the  professional  alertness  and  enthusiasm  of 
his  second  lieutenant  to  endear  the  young  man  to 
him  as  a  naval  officer  whose  future  was  charged  with 
brilliant  possibilities.* 

It  would  be  impossible  in  a  brief  survey  of  such  a 
life  as  Nelson's  to  find  space  for  the  recital  of  all 
that  he  did  in  the  West  Indies  at  this  time.  Locker 
appointed  him  to  the  command  of  one  of  the 
Lotvestoffcs  tenders,  a  little  schooner  in  which,  as 
he  himself  tells  us,  "  he  made  himself  a  complete 
pilot  of  all  the  passages  through  the  (Keys)  Islands 
situated  on  the  north  side  Hispaniola."  Through 
the  influence  of  Locker  he  was  appointed  by  Ad- 

*  It  is  worth  noting,  however,  that  Sir  James  Mackintosh  (see  his 
Life,  vol.  ii.,  p.  135)  says  :  "  Windham,  certainly,  and  perhaps  Fox, 
met  Captain  Nelson  at  I  lolkham  without  suspecting  that  he  was  more 
than  a  lively  and  gallant  ol'licer." 


1776-82]  Career  in  the  West  Indies.  1 7 

miral  Sir  Peter  Parker  third  of  the  flag-ship  Bristol 
and  his  place  in  the  Lowcstoffe  was  taken  by  Cuth- 
bert  Collingvvood,  who,  in  a  brief  account  of  his  own 
Hfe  which  he  communicated  to  the  Naval  CJironicle,^' 
wrote  :  "  Whenever  Lord  Nelson  got  a  step  in  rank 
I  succeeded  him,  first  in  the  Lowestoffe,  then  in  the 
Badger,  into  which  ship  I  was  made  a  Commander  in 
1779,  and  afterwards  the  Hinchinbrook,  a  twenty- 
eight-gun  frigate,  which  made  us  both  Post-Cap- 
tains." The  Bristol  cruised  in  company  with  other 
ships  until  the  17th  of  October.  In  this  time  sev- 
enteen sail  of  French  merchantmen  were  captured. 
Two  months  later  Nelson  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Commander,  and  in  the  Badger  brig  was  sent  to 
protect  the  Mosquito  coast  and  the  Bay  of  Hon- 
duras from  the  American  privateersmen  who 
swarmed  in  those  waters.  He  is  described  at  this 
period  as  of  a  figure  that  might  readily  have  passed 
for  what  it  is  customary  to  call  "  a  common  sailor." 
He  was  careless  in  his  dress,  blunt  in  speech,  frank 
and  off-hand  in  manner.  There  is  little  to  surprise 
one  in  this.  So  far  as  he  had  now  used  the  sea,  he 
had  endured  the  hardest  part  of  its  life  in  a  voca- 
tional sense.  He  was  a  thorough-bred  seaman  at 
this  period,  but  it  needed  the  keen  and  affectionate 
penetration  of  a  William  Locker  to  perceive  more  in 
him  than  forecastle  and  quarter-deck  capacities  some- 
what above  the  average. 

In  1779  England  was  at  war  with  France  and 
Spain.  There  was  much  anxiety  felt  in  Great 
Britain  ;    for  our  naval  force  had  been  represented 

*  Vol.  xxiii.,  p.  330. 


1 8  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7i.  [^t.  21 

by  Lord  Chatham  as  unequal  to  the  needs  of  the 
nation.  Further,  ships  were  short-handed  in  conse- 
quence of  the  suppHes  of  American  seamen  being 
stopped.  King  George,  with  the  design  of  popular- 
ising the  Service,  entered  his  third  son,  Prince 
William  Henry,  as  midshipman.  So  far  as  the 
quarter-deck  was  concerned  the  result  was  success- 
ful. The  ships  of  war  were  promptly  filled  with 
sprigs  of  the  nobility.*  It  was  long  a  popular  story 
in  the  Navy  that  soon  after  Prince  William  had  be- 
come a  midshipman  a  lieutenant  of  a  man-of-war 
hailing  the  mizzen-topsail  yard,  shouted  out  :  "  My 
lords  and  gentlemen,  and  all  you  right  honourable 
lubbers,  bear  a  hand  and  roll  up  that  sail  and  lay 
down  !  "  Three  days  earlier  than  the  entering  of 
the  future  King  of  England  as  a  midshipman  on 
board  the  Prince  George,  Nelson  had  been  made  Post 
into  the  Hinchinbrook.  He  was  at  sea  when  news 
of  the  arrival  of  Count  D'Estaing  at  Hispaniola 
reached  him.  The  enemy's  powerful  fleet  and  army 
threatened  the  safety  of  Jamaica.  Nelson  imme- 
diately offered  his  services  to  the  Admiralty  and  to 
the  Governor,  General  Bailing,  and  was  appointed 
to  command  the  batteries  at  Port  Royal.  This  was 
the  most  important  post  in  the  whole  island. 
Nothing,  however,  was  done  by  D'Estaing,  and  Gen- 
eral Bailing  thereupon  went  to  work  to  execute  a 
plan  originated  by  himself — /.  e.,  to  take  the  fort  of 
San  Juan  on  the  river  that  runs  from  Nicaragua  into 
the  Atlantic,  and  so  capture  Granada  and  Leon,  that 
communication  might  be  effectually  cut  off  between 

*  Naval  Chronicle,  vol.  xii.,  p.  335. 


1776-82]  Nicaragua  Expedition.  19 

the  northern  and  southern  dominions  of  the  Span- 
iards in  America. 

In  this  service  Nelson  was  foremost.  He  con- 
voyed the  handful  of  troops  which  were  sent,  headed 
them  in  their  landings,  and  may  be  said  really  to 
have  shown  them  how  to  fight.  The  expedition 
was  distressing  and  disgusting ;  the  climate  an  in- 
tolerable one  ;  the  prospects  poor,  and  even  if  achiev- 
able, of  little  worth ;  the  seat  of  war  a  bed  of  mud  ; 
the  river  to  be  navigated  rapid  and  difficult,  soil  and 
air  swarming  with  venomous  things  and  poisonous 
with  the  pestiferous  exhalations  of  centuries  of 
tropical  rot.  Nelson  might  easily  have  backed 
out  of  this  cheap,  mean,  and  idle  contest,  since  his 
instructions  from  Sir  Peter  Parker  were  that  the 
services  of  the  Hinchinbrook  should  terminate  with 
the  landing  of  her  soldiers.  But  he  found  that 
there  was  not  a  man  of  the  whole  company  who 
had  ever  been  up  the  river,  or  who  had  an  idea  of 
the  distance  of  any  fortification  from  its  mouth.^ 
He  thereupon  manned  the  Mosquito  shore-craft  with 
his  own  sailors,  and  carried  the  soldiers  up  to  the 
castle  of  San  Juan.  His  extraordinary  energy  is  con- 
spicuously manifested  in  this  passage  of  his  career. 
There  was  scarcely  a  gun  fired  which  was  not  pointed 
by  him.  He  himself,  at  the  head  of  a  few  seamen, 
"  boarded,"  as  he  called  it,  the  St.  Bartholomew  bat- 
tery, and  the  Spaniards  fled  in  terror  before  the  hurri- 
cane rush  of  the  Jacks.  That  a  single  man  of  the  expe- 
dition should  have  survived  General  Balling's  scheme 
is  perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  part  of  this  busi- 

*  Lord  Nelson's  "  Memoir  of  his  Services, "part  2. 


20  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.  f/tt.  21 


ness.  Nelson  was  barely  saved  from  being  stung  to 
death  by  a  serpent.  He*  narrowly  escaped  being 
poisoned  through  drinking  at  a  spring  in  which  some 
branches  of  the  manchineel  apple  had  been  thrown. 
Men  dropped  dead  during  the  march,  and  their 
bodies  became  putrid  corpses  within  half  an  hour. 
They  were  without  provisions,  and  were  forced  to 
subsist  on  a  broth  formed  by  boiling  monkeys,  a 
sort  of  food  which  Nelson  often  declared  nothing 
could  induce  him  to  touch  after  a  glance  at  the 
brutes  simmering  in  the  copper.* 

His  life  was  saved  by  Sir  Peter  Parker's  appoint- 
ment of  him  to  the  command  of  the  Jamis  of  forty- 
four  guns.  He  returned  to  Jamaica  to  take  posses- 
sion of  her,  but  was  nearly  dead  of  dysentery  and 
fatigue.  On  his  arrival  he  was  conveyed  on  shore 
in  his  cot  and  attended  by  a  black  nurse  named 
Cuba  Cornwallis,  from  whose  lodging-house  he  was 
removed  to  the  residence  of  the  Admiral,  and  ten- 
derly nursed  by  Lady  Parker  and  her  housekeeper, 
Sir  Peter  himself  often  keeping  watch  by  the  young 
captain's  bedside.  It  is  told  that  such  was  his  aver- 
sion from  taking  medicine  that  the  only  method  which 
could  be  devised  to  induce  him  to  swallow  it  was  to 
send  it  to  him  by  the  Admiral's  little  girl,  whom 
Nelson  afterwards   always  spoke  of    as  his    nursc.f 

*  Yet  Sir  Sidney  Smith  ate  rats  with  avidity!  He  "asserted 
that  rats  fed  cleaner,  and  were  better  eating  than  pigs  or  ducks,  and 
agreeably  to  his  wish,  a  dish  of  these  beautiful  vermin  were  caught 
daily  with  fish-hooks,  well  liaited,  in  the  provision  hold,  for  the  ship 
was  infested  with  them,  and  served  up  at  the  captain's  table.  The 
sight  of  them  alone  took  off  the  keen  edge  of  my  appetite." — "  XeJ. 
sonian  Reminiscences,"  by  G.  S.  Parsons,  R.  N.,  p.  275. 

f  Clarke  and  M'Arthur.     Vol.  i.,  p.  6i. 


1776-82]  A  Baltic  Cruise.  21 


His  illness  increased  upon  him.  The  West  Indian 
climate  was  killing  him  ;  there  was  no  remedy  but 
an  immediate  return  to  Europe,  and  on  the  first  of 
September,  1780,  he  sailed  for  England  in  the  Lion, 
commanded  by  Captain  William  Cornwallis,  "whose 
care  and  attention,"  he  says,  "again  saved  my  hfe." 
For  nearly  a  year  he  resided  at  Bath  under  the 
advice  of  Dr.  Woodward,  a  celebrated  physician,  of 
whom  Lady  Nelson  afterwards  would  tell  this  story : 
that  when  Nelson  expressed  surprise  at  the  smallness 
of  the  fees  charged  and  desired  to  increase  them.  Dr. 
Woodward  answered  :  "  Pray,  Captain  Nelson,  allow 
me  to  follow  what  I  consider  to  be  my  professional 
duty.  Your  illness,  sir,  has  been  brought  on  by  serving 
your  king  and  country,  and  believe  me,  I  love  both 
too  well  to  be  able  to  receive  any  more."  His  health 
improved,  and  he  made  earnest  application  for  em- 
ployment, but  for  a  long  time  without  result.  On 
the  i6th  of  August,  1781,  he  was  appointed  to  com- 
mission the  Albemarle  frigate,  twenty-eight  guns, 
and  was  despatched  in  October,  along  with  two 
other  vessels,  to  Elsineur  to  protect  the  homeward 
trade.  This  commission  greatly  irritated  Nelson. 
He  felt  that  his  gallant  services  deserved  a  more 
generous  recognition  than  his  dispatch  on  a  win- 
ter's cruise  into  the  bleak  North  Sea,  enfeebled  as 
he  was  after  a  long  course  of  the  fever-breeding 
parallels  of  the  West  Indies.  On  his  arrival  at 
Elsineur  the  Danish  admiral  sent  a  midshipman 
to  the  Albemarle  that  he  might  be  informed  of  the 
names  and  force  of  the  ships.  The  visit  of  the  little 
creature  was  felt  as  an  indignity  by  Nelson.     "  The 


22  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         L>Et.  24 

Albemarle''  said  he  to  the  midshipman,  "  is  one  of 
his  Britannic  Majesty's  ships  ;  you  are  at  Hbcrty  to 
count  her  guns  as  you  go  down  the  side  ;  and  you 
may  assure  the  Danish  admiral  that,  if  necessary, 
they  shall  all  be  well  served."  The  midshipman 
carried  this  message  ashore,  and  later  on  Nelson 
sent  to  say  that  the  English  squadron  would  salute 
the  castle  of  Kronenburg  with  nineteen  guns  pro- 
vided an  equal  number  were  returned.  This  was 
done,  a  few  civilities  were  exchanged,  and  the  Dane's 
discourtesy  pardoned. 

The  cruise  was  uneventful,  but  it  stored  the 
mind  of  Nelson  with  memories  which  subsequently 
proved  of  inestimable  value  to  his  country.  In 
April,  1782,  his  ship  still  being  the  Albemarle,  he 
sailed  in  company  with  Captain  Thomas  Pringle 
with  a  convoy  for  Newfoundland  and  Quebec.  Two 
months  later,  whilst  cruising  off  Boston,  he  was 
chased  by  three  French  ships  of  the  line  and  a 
frigate.  The  four  ships  outsailed  him,  and  to  save 
himself  from  being  taken  he  ran  amongst  the 
numerous  and  dangerous  shoals  of  St.  George's 
Bank.  The  coolness  which  at  such  a  moment  as 
this  springs  from  a  long  experience  in  the  business  of 
pilotage,  where  every  instinct  must  be  on  the  alert, 
and  where  a  man  needs  as  many  eyes  in  his  head  as 
a  peacock  has  in  its  tail,  was  Nelson's  now  ;  and  he 
saved  his  ship  by  it.  The  liners  shifted  their  helm; 
but  the  frigate  continued  to  warily  follow  with  a 
leadsman  on  either  side  of  her;  whereupon  the 
-^/(^r;;/^r/f' shortened  sail  meaning  to  fight  her;  but 
Monsieur  happened  to  ])e  without  appetite  just  then 


1776-82]        Anecdote  of  the  '' Harmony ^  23 

for  the  encounter,  and  taking  advantage  of  the 
evening  that  had  drawn  down,  he  braced  his  yards 
up  and  staggered  ofT  in  search  of  his  consorts. 

During  this  cruise  Nelson  captured  a  small  Cape 
Cod-man  called  the  Harmony.  All  that  her  owner,  a 
poor  fisherman,  had  in  the  world  was  aboard  of  his 
little  craft.  Nelson  employed  him  for  a  while  as  a 
pilot.  The  poor  fellow  served  him  very  faithfully; 
on  which,  first  taking  the  judgment  of  his  ofificers 
and  ship's  company.  Nelson  called  to  the  man,  whose 
name  was  Carver,  to  approach  him  and  said  :  "  You 
have  rendered  me  a  very  essential  service  and  it  is 
not  the  custom  of  English  seamen  to  be  ungrateful. 
In  the  name  therefore,  and  with  the  approbation  of 
the  officers  of  this  ship,  I  return  your  schooner  and 
with  it  this  certificate  of  your  good  conduct.  Fare- 
well, and  may  God  bless  you."  There  can  be  no 
question  that  Nelson  acted  as  is  here  recorded ; 
proof  of  it  may  yet  be  extant  in  the  original  manu- 
script of  the  certificate  that  was  framed  and  hung 
up  in  the  house  of  Isaac  Davis  of  Boston  ;  but  it  is 
difficult  to  believe  that  he  made  the  above  speech  to 
Carver.  It  is  not  the  language  of  a  bluff  sailor ;  it 
is  too  melodramatic ;  it  sounds,  in  short,  as  though 
written  for  a  stage  Nelson.  Anyway,  Carver  was  so 
grateful  for  the  act,  that  he  came  off  to  the  ship 
at  the  hazard  of  his  life  with  a  most  useful  and 
timely  gift  of  sheep,  poultry,  and  provisions,  which 
Nelson  insisted  upon  paying  for. 

Whilst  at  Quebec  Nelson  fell  in  love  with  an  Ameri- 
can lady.  The  Albermarle  was  ready  for  sea  when 
Alexander  Davison,  whose  name  is  intimately  asso- 


24  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  24 

ciated  with  that  of  Nelson  in  his  life  and  corre- 
spondence, met  the  frigate's  captain  as  he  sprang 
from  a  boat  on  to  the  beach.  Davison  eagerly 
asked  him  the  occasion  of  his  return.  "  Walk  up  to 
your  house,"  replied  Nelson,  "  and  you  shall  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  cause.  I  find  it  utterly  impos- 
sible to  leave  this  place  without  again  waiting  on 
her  whose  society  has  so  much  added  to  its  charms 
and  laying  myself  and  my  fortunes  at  her  feet." 
"  Your  utter  ruin,"  cried  Davison,  "  situated  as  you 
are  at  present,  must  inevitably  follow."  "  Then 
let  it  follow ! "  exclaimed  Nelson,  "  for  I  am  re- 
solved to  do  it."  Davison,  however,  managed  to 
blandly  but  firmly  convey  Nelson  back  into  his 
boat  and  saw  him  safely  ofif,  perhaps  watching 
from  the  beach  until  the  Albemarle  had  got  her 
anchor  and  was  blowing  out  to  sea.* 

In  October  he  sailed  with  a  convoy  to  New  York, 
where  he  found  the  fleet  under  the  command  of 
Lord  Hood,  namely  the  Barfleur  with  twelve  sail-of- 
the-line,  part  of  Lord  Rodney's  victorious  ships  of 
the  1 2th  of  April.  Nelson  waited  on  Admiral 
Digby  on  his  arrival  and  Lord  Hood  was  present. 
"  You  are  come,"  said  Digby,  "  on  a  fine  station  for 
making  prize-money."  "  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Nelson, 
"but  the  West  Lidies  is  the  station  for  honour." 
Lord  Hood  seems  to  have  noted  this  speech.  "  He 
has  honoured  me  highly  by  a  letter,"  Nelson  writes 
to  Captain  Locker,  November  17,  1782,  "  for  wishing 
to  go  off  this  station  to  a  station  of  service,  and 
has  promised  me  his  friendship." 

♦Clarke  and  M'Arthur.     Vol  i.,  p.  77. 


1776-821  Lord  Hood.  25 

Prince  William  Henry,  Duke  of  Clarence,  after- 
wards William  IV.,  had  quitted  Admiral  Digby, 
under  whom  he  had  been  serving  as  midshipman, 
for  the  Barjlejir,  on  Lord  Hood's  arrival.  He  was 
on  board  that  vessel  when  Nelson  came  off  in  his 
barge,  and  he  afterwards  described  him  as  the 
merest  boy  of  a  captain  he  had  ever  beheld.  His 
dress,  he  said,  was  worthy  of  attention.  He  had 
on  a  full-laced  uniform;  his  lank,  unpowdered  hair 
was  tied  in  a  stiff  Hessian  tail  of  an  extraordinary 
length  ;  the  old-fashioned  flaps  of  his  waistcoat 
added  to  the  general  quaintness  of  his  figure.  The 
Prince  could  not  keep  his  eyes  off  him.  He  had 
never  before  viewed  so  singular  a  sailor.  He  could 
not  imagine  who  he  was  nor  what  he  came  about, 
but  on  Lord  Hood  introducing  him,  the  Prince 
found  something  irresistibly  pleasing  in  his  address 
and  conversation,  and  an  enthusiasm  when  speak- 
ing on  professional  subjects  that  showed  he  was  no 
common  being.  There  was  something  certainly 
very  grotesque  in  the  old  naval  costumes.  Many  of 
the  noblest  of  the  old  sea-captains  must  have  shown 
wonderfully  like  scarecrows  in  their  day.  When 
St.  Vincent  first  went  to  sea  his  dress  was  formed  of 
a  coat  that  had  been  made  "for  him  to  grow  up  to. 
It  reached  down  to  his  heels  and  was  "  full  large  "  in 
the  sleeves.  The  dirk  and  gold-laced  hat  could  but 
heighten  the  absurdity  of  such  a  figure.  *  Jervis, 
however,  learnt  to  respect  dress  and  to  insist  upon  it. 
A  story  is  told  of  Commodore  Thompson,  who,  being 
one  day  clad  in  a  purser's  duck  frock  and  a  common 

♦Brenton's  "  Life  of  St.  Vincent,"  vol.  i.,  p.  17. 


26 


The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  24 


straw  hat,  passed  in  his  boat  under  the  stern  of  the 
flag-ship.  Jervis,  viewing  the  Commodore  with 
astonishment,  hailed  the  boat.  "  In  the  barge  there ! 
Go  and  assist  in  towing  that  transport."  The  Com- 
modore, fully  appreciating  the  significance  of  this 
rebuke,  stood  up,  and  taking  off  his  hat,  answered 
with  Jack's  customary  cry  of  "Aye,  aye,  sir,"  and 
proceeded  to  execute  the  order.* 


*  Quarterly  Review,  1844,  P-  422. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Journey  to  France — Miss  Andrews — Captain  Alex- 
ander Ball — Treatment  of  midshipmen — Seizures 
under  the  Navigation  Act — Mrs.  Moutray — 
Fanny  Nisbet — Anecdotes  of  Nelson — His  mar- 
riage— Disgusted  by  neglect  and  ill-treatment. 


NDER  Lord  Hood's  command  Nelson 
sailed  to  the  West  Indies  in  Novem- 
ber and  remained  there  until  Janu- 
ary, 1783,  when  peace  with  France 
was  concluded.  Little  that  is  worth  noting  occurred 
whilst  he  was  on  this  station.  He  took  a  French 
brig,  and  made  captive  an  illustrious  foreigner  and 
several  French  scientific  gentlemen,  whom  he  quickly, 
however,  set  at  liberty.  The  Albemarle  was  paid  off 
at  Portsmouth  July  3,  1783,  and  Nelson  was  placed 
on  half-pay.  On  the  nth  of  the  month  Lord 
Hood  carried  him  to  St.  James's  Palace,  and  Petti- 
grew  tells  us  that  the  King  was  very  attentive  to 
Nelson,  perhaps  on  the  recommendation  of  his  son, 
Prince  William,  who  was  now  able  to  state  from  per- 
sonal experience  that  there  was  no  man  at  that  time 
afloat  in  the  King's  navy  better  able  to  give  most 


28  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  25 

valuable  information  on  naval  tactics.  It  is  said 
that  when  he  left  St.  James's  he  dined  with  his 
Quebec  friend  Davison  at  Lincoln's  Inn.  "On  his 
arrival  he  immediately  threw  off  what  he  called 
his  'iron-bound  coat,'  and  having  procured  a  dress- 
ing-gown spent  the  evening  in  talking  over  the 
various  occurrences  of  the  interval  that  had 
elapsed  since  they  last  parted  on  the  beach  of  the 
River  St.  Lawrence."  *  His  talk  would  naturally 
concern  his  passion  for  the  beautiful  American 
lady  whom  Davison  had  obliged  him  to  turn  his 
back  upon.  Nelson's  devotion  to  the  ladies,  how- 
ever, like  his  ambition,  was  not  to  be  restricted. 
In  the  Autumn  of  1783,  he  went  to  France  with 
Captain  Macnamara,  mainly  with  the  intention  of 
learning  French,  and  at  St.  Omer  met  and  fell  in 
love  with  Miss  Andrews,  one  of  the  three  daughters 
of  an  English  clergyman.  How  much  in  earnest  he 
was  may  be  gathered  from  his  letter  to  his  uncle, 
William  Suckling,  in  which  he  tells  him  that  the 
critical  moment  of  his  life  is  now  arrived,  that  it 
depends  entirely  upon  him,  namely,  his  uncle, 
whether  he  is  to  be  miserable  or  happy  :  in  other 
words,  as  his  income  docs  not  exceed  ^^130 
a  year,  will  his  uncle  allow  him  ;^ioo  a  year 
to  enable  him  to  get  married  ?  Suckling  very 
handsomely  complied ;  Nelson,  however,  did  not 
marry  Miss  Andrews.  Pettigrew  believes  he  was 
rejected  by  her.  What  Nelson  thought  of  her  may 
be  gathered  from  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his 
brother  William.     "  She  has  such  accomplishments 

♦Clarke  and  M'Arthur.     Vol.  i.,  p.  84. 


1/82-871  Captaijt  Alexander  Ball.  29 

that  had  I  a  milHon  of  money  I  am  sure  I  should  at 
this  moment  make  her  an  offer  of  them."  *  Prob- 
ably ;^230  a  year  did  not  suggest  an  alliance  suffi- 
ciently alluring  to  Miss  Andrews,  who  had  but  a 
thousand  pounds  for  her  fortune.  There  could  have 
been  no  ill  feeling,  however,  for  the  girl  had  a 
brother  in  the  Navy  who  subsequently  became  the 
friend  and   follower  of  Nelson. 

Two  naval  officers  were  at  St.  Omer  when  Nelson 
was  there.  He  thought  them  great  coxcombs, 
chiefly  because  they  wore  epaulets,  which  was  a 
French  fashion  that  Nelson  detested,  though  eleven 
years  later  the  epaulet  was  ordered  to  be  worn  as 
part  of  the  British  naval  uniform.  One  of  these 
''coxcombs"  was  Captain,  afterwards  Sir,  Alexander 
Ball,  who  had  gone  to  sea  in  1768  through  reading 
"  Robinson  Crusoe."  That  Nelson's  instant  dislike  of 
Ball  was  reciprocated  does  not  appear,  but  it  is  re- 
markable that  fourteen  years  later  they  came  together 
at  sea  in  a  violent  storm,  when  Ball  rendered  Nelson 
such  services  as  caused  the  Hero  to  embrace  him 
as  his  deliverer,  and  for  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
they  were  intimate  and  even  affectionate  friends. 

In  March  he  was  appointed  to  the  Boreas,  of 
twenty-eight  guns,  and  sailed  for  the  Leeward 
Islands,  having  with  him  Lady  Hughes,  the  wife  of 
Sir  Richard,  Commander-in-chief  on  that  station. 
With  him,  as  chaplain,  went  his  brother,  the  Rev. 
William,  afterwards  the   first    Earl   Nelson,   a   man 


*  "Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  i.,  p.  91.  Miss  Andrews  married 
first  a  clergyman  of  the  name  of  Farrer  and  second  Col.Warne  of  the 
E.  I.  C.  S. 


JO  The  Life  if  Ho7'atio  Nelson.  t^t.  25 


whose  character  is  warmly  attacked  by  Pettigrew 
and  pleasantly  defended  in  our  day  by  Mr.  J.  C. 
Jeaffreson.*  There  were  thirty  midshipmen  in  the 
Boreas,  and  Nelson's  treatment  of  them  was  ob- 
served and  recorded  by  Lady  Hughes.  The  tender- 
ness of  his  noble  nature  is  finely  illustrated  by  the 
lady's  description.  There  were  timid  spirits  amongst 
the  lads,  little  creatures  who  gazed  with  affright  at 
the  towering  masts  it  was  their  duty  to  climb.  Nel- 
son, to  encourage  them,  would  say,  "  I  am  going  a 
race  to  the  masthead,  and  beg  I  may  meet  you 
there,"  then  would  spring  into  the  lee  shrouds  whilst 
the  nervous  little  middy  crawled  up  to  windward  ; 
and  Lady  Hughes  tells  us  that  when  they  met  in 
the  top  he  would  speak  in  the  most  cheerful  way  to 
the  boy,  and  observe :  "  How  much  any  person  was 
to  be  pitied  who  could  fancy  there  was  any  danger, 
or  even  anything  disagreeable  in  the  attempt."  It 
was  such  traits  as  these  that  made  Nelson  loved  as 
never  was  naval  hero  loved  by  sailors.  His  example, 
too,  was  of  incomparable  service,  a  life-long  influence 
to  the  youths  of  his  quarter-deck.  He  was  always 
the  first  to  arrive  with  his  quadrant  to  take  sights  at 
noon.  Regularly  every  day  he  would  enter  the 
school-room  and  stand  listening  and  looking  on 
whilst  the  boys  buzzed  through  their  nautical  studies. 
"  I  make  it  a  rule,"  he  said,  speaking  of  his  midship- 
men, "  to  introduce  them  to  all  the  good  company  I 
can,  as  they  have  few  to  look  up  to,  besides  myself, 
during  the  time  they  arc  at  sea." 

*  See  "Lady   Hamilton  and  Lord  Nelson,"  by  J.  C.  Jeaffreson, 
Passim, 


1782-87]     SeiztLrcs  tinder  Navigation  Act.  3 1 

The  Boreas  reached  Barbadoes  on  the  26th  of 
June,  and  for  nine  months  Nelson  was  occupied  in 
suppressing  the  illegal  traffic  that  was  carried  on  in 
those  islands.  The  trade  with  the  West  Indies  had 
been  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans, 
but  they  had  ceased  to  be  colonists  and  were  now 
foreigners,  and  under  our  Navigation  Laws  had  no 
right  to  trade  in  British  colonies.  Nelson  found 
Sir  Richard  Hughes  indifferent  to  British  interests, 
perhaps  secretly  conniving  at  what  was  going  for- 
ward. He  seized  many  vessels  which  he  knew  were 
not  privileged  to  trade,  and  for  simply  doing  his 
duty  was,  as  he  himself  says,  "persecuted  from  one 
island  to  another."  His  zeal  was  very  little  relished. 
It  was  his  opinion  that  men-of-war  were  sent  abroad 
for  other  purposes  than  to  be  made  a  show  of; 
he  recommended  Sir  Richard  Hughes  to  study  the 
Navigation  Act ;  and  he  hauled  down  a  broad  pen- 
nant that  had  been  hoisted  on  board  the  Latona  by 
order  of  the  Resident  Commissioner  Moutray,  on 
the  ground  that  he.  Nelson,  knew  of  no  superior 
officers  besides  the  Lord  Commissioners  of  the  Ad- 
miralty and  his  seniors  in  active  service  on  the  post. 
The  splenetic  governor  of  the  Leeward  Islands,  Sir 
Thomas  Shirley,  fell  into  a  passion  on  finding  his 
opinions  firmly  objected  to  by  Nelson,  and  told  him 
hotly  that  old  generals  were  not  in  the  habit  of  tak- 
ing advice  from  young  gentlemen.  "  Sir,"  answered 
Nelson,  contemptuously,  "  I  am  as  old  as  the  Prime- 
Minister  of  England,  and  think  myself  as  capable  of 
commanding  one  of  his  Majesty's  ships  as  that  min- 
ister is  of  governing  the  State." 


32  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  25 

In  a  letter  to  Captain  Locker  Nelson  briefly  ex- 
plained this  difficulty  of  illicit  traffic  thus:  "An 
American  arrives;  he  has  sprung  a  leak,  or  a  mast; 
he  makes  a  protest,  he  gets  admittance,  sells  the 
cargo  for  any  money,  goes  to  Martinico,  buys  molas- 
ses, and  so  round  and  round  ;  but  I  hate  them  all." 
On  his  arrival  at  Nevis  he  found  four  American  ves- 
sels lying  there  deeply  laden  and  flying  the  island 
colours,  white  with  the  red  cross.  They  were  re- 
quired to  hoist  the  American  flag  and  leave  in  forty- 
eight  hours.  The  masters  denied  that  they  were 
Americans,  and  refused  to  obey  Nelson's  orders. 
The  crews  were  thereupon  summoned  to  the  cabin 
of  the  Boreas  and  examined  by  the  Judge  of  the  Ad- 
miralty, who  happened  to  be  on  board,  and  after  a 
little  coaxing  they  all  confessed  they  were  Americans, 
and  that  their  vessels  and  cargoes  were  wholly 
American  property.  On  being  proceeded  against 
the  four  vessels  with  their  cargoes  were  condemned 
as  legal  prizes  to  the  Boreas.  A  rascally  attorney 
got  hold  of  the  American  masters  and  induced  them 
to  swear  that  their  own  and  the  depositions  of  their 
crews  had  been  extorted  from  them  by  bodily  fear. 
An  action  for  damages — Pettigrew  says  ^^4,000,  but 
Clarke  and  M'Arthur  call  it  ;^40,ooo.  Nelson  him- 
self talking  of  it  as  "  the  enormous  sum  of  forty 
thousand  pounds  sterling  " — was  immediately  com- 
menced against  Nelson,  and  for  many  weeks  he  had 
to  keep  in  hiding  in  his  cabin,  the  ingenuity  of  his 
first  lieutenant,  Wallis,  alone  preserving  him  from 
arrest.  One  of  his  officers  referring  to  this  restraint 
used  the  word  pity.  Nelson  was  on  fire  in  an  in- 
stant.    "  Pity,  did  you  say  ?  "  he  cried :  "  I  shall  live, 


1782-87]  Arrested  at  Nevis.  33 

sir,  to  be  envied !  And  to  that  point  I  shall  always 
direct  my  course."  At  the  expiration  of  eight  weeks 
the  trial  came  on  ;  he  pleaded  his  own  cause,  and 
his  statements  were  so  perfectly  clear  that  the 
four  American  vessels  were  condemned.  He  mem- 
orialised the  Government,  and  was  ordered  to  be 
defended  at  the  expense  of  the  Crown.  But  the 
Commander-in-chief  alone  received  thanks  from  the 
Treasury  for  the  work  that  Nelson  had  done.  "  I 
feel  much  hurt,"  wrote  Nelson  to  his  friend  Locker, 
"  that  after  the  loss  of  health  and  risk  of  fortune 
another  should  be  thanked  for  what  I  did  and 
against  his  orders."  That  Sir  Richard  should  have 
coolly  accepted  those  thanks,  must  justify  to  every 
reader  of  the  life  of  Nelson  the  contempt  with  which 
our  Hero  regarded  the  Commander-in-chief,  whom 
he  would  scornfully  speak  of  as  "  that  fiddler." 

Amidst  all  his  many  varieties  of  occupations,  how- 
ever, and  in  defiance  of  the  menaces  of  attorneys, 
and  the  abuse  and  hatred  of  Yankees  and  West  In- 
dian settlers.  Nelson  could  find  leisure  to  fall  in  love 
and  marry.  Possibly  he  would  have  laid  his  heart 
and  fortune  at  the  feet  of  Mrs.  Moutray,  the  wife  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Antigua,  had  she  been  a  widow. 
He  writes  of  her  as  having  been  "  very,  very  good  " 
to  him  ;  declares  that  but  for  her  he  must  almost 
have  hanged  himself  "  at  this  infernal  hole."  She 
appears  to  have  been  a  very  charming  woman.  Col- 
lingwood  loved  her  and  wrote  thus  of  her: 

"  To  you  belongs  the  wondrous  art, 
To  shed  around  you  pleasure  ; 
New  wortli  to  best  of  things  impart, 
And  make  of  trifles — treasure." 


34  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  25 

It  was  at  the  Island  of  Nevis,  however,  that  Nelson 
''  met  his  fate,"  as  the  novelists  of  his  age  would  have 
said.  Mrs.  Fanny  Nisbet,  whose  husband,  Josiah  Nis- 
bet,  a  medical  man,  had  died  insane  eighteen  months 
after  his  marriage,  was  at  St.  Kitt's  when  Nelson 
paid  his  first  visit  to  her  uncle,  Mr.  Herbert,  then 
President  of  Nevis.*  A  lady  who  was  at  the  house 
when  Nelson  arrived,  thought  to  amuse  Mrs.  Nisbet 
by  describing  to  her  in  a  letter  "  the  little  captain 
of  the  Boreas,''  as  she  called  him.  She  told  Fanny 
how  he  came  up  just  before  dinner,  much  heated, 
and  that  he  was  very  silent,  though  he  seemed  to 
think  the  more.  He  drank  no  wine  till  the  toasts 
of  the  King,  the  Queen,  the  Royal  Family,  and  Lord 
Hood  were  given,  and  then  "  this  strange  man," 
wrote  the  lady,  "  regularly  filled  his  glass  and  ob- 
served that  those  were  always  bumper  toasts  with 
him."  But  when  he  had  passed  the  bottle  he  was 
silent  again.  The  lady  was  much  puzzled  ;  she 
could  not  make  out  the  little  man's  real  character. 
His  behaviour  was  one  of  sternness  and  reserve,  but 
when  he  at  long  intervals  uttered  himself  there  was 
the  hint  of  a  very  superior  mind  in  what  he  said. 
"  If  you,  Fanny,  had  been  there  you  would  have 
made  something  of  him  ;  for  you  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  attending  to  these  odd  sort  of  people." 

Six  months  after  this  Nelson  was  again  at  Nevis. 
Mr.   Herbert    on    hearing    of    his    arrival    hastened 


*  This  gentleman  offered  to  become  bail  for  Nelson,  if  he  chose  to 
suffer  an  arrest,  to  the  amount  of  ;^  10,000,  observing  that  "  the  cap- 
tain had  done  no  more  than  his  duty,  though  he  was  one  of  the  [great- 
est sufferers  by  it." — Churchill's  "  Life  of  Nelson,"  p.  22. 


1782-87]  Marries  Mrs.  Nishet.  35 

to  receive  him  and  found  him  playing  at  hide-and- 
seek  under  the  dining-room  table  with  Mrs.  Nisbet's 
child,  Josiah,  then  three  years  old.  A  few  days 
after,  Mrs.  Nisbet  met  Nelson  and  thanked  him  for 
his  kindness  to  her  little  boy.  He  fell  in  love  with 
her,  found  her  indeed  even  more  attractive  than 
Miss  Andrews  had  proved,  spoke  of  her  in  a  letter 
to  William  Suckling  as  twenty-two  years  old,  "  and 
her  personal  accomplishments,  you  will  suppose,  / 
think  equal  to  any  person's  I  ever  saw."  There  can 
be  no  question  as  to  the  ardency  of  his  love  and  of 
the  sincerity  of  his  devotion  as  a  husband  down  to 
the  time  when  Lady  Hamilton  was  nursing  him  at 
Naples  into  a  passion  for  her  own  beautiful  and  fas- 
cinating self.  His  union  was  delayed  by  his  profes- 
sional duties.  Prince  William  warmly  encouraged 
the  match,  promised  to  be  present  at  the  wedding 
and  give  away  the  bride.  Nelson's  letters  to  Fanny 
Nisbet  at  this  time  are  full  of  delightful  gossip  about 
himself,  and  her,  and  his  hopes  and  prospects  ;  and 
nowhere  else  in  his  correspondence  is  the  tenderness 
of  his  heart,  the  manliness  of  his  beautiful,  touching, 
sailorly  character  more  visible.  They  were  married 
on  the  1 2th  of  March,  1787.  Prince  William  kept 
his  promise,  but  the  marriage  appears  to  have  been 
quite  private.  Many  of  his  professional  friends  con- 
sidered he  had  made  a  sad  blunder  in  burthening 
himself  with  a  wife.  "The  Navy,  sir,"  exclaimed 
Captain  Pringle  to  a  brother  officer  on  the  day  after 
the  wedding,  "  yesterday  lost  one  of  its  greatest 
ornaments  by  Nelson's  marriage.  It  is  a  national 
loss,  that  such  an  officer  should  marry;  had  it  not 


36  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  29 

been  for  that  circumstance  I  foresaw  that  Nelson 
would  become  the  greatest  man  in  the  service." 

Such  foresight  is  not  a  little  diverting  in  retro- 
spect. Assuredly  his  marriage  did  not  hinder  him 
in  his  prosecution  of  services  which  rendered  him  in 
the  highest  degree  obnoxious  to  the  numberless 
rogues  of  the  West  Indies  of  those  days.  He  de- 
tected and  exposed  the  nefarious  proceedings  of 
contractors  and  prize-agents ;  he  supplied  the  Admi- 
ralty with  statements  of  fraud  upon  the  Government 
amounting  to  a  million  sterling.  It  was  all  thankless 
work  to  him.  "  My  activity  of  mind  is  too  much  for 
my  puny  constitution,"  he  wrote  to  his  uncle  ;  "  I 
am  worn  to  a  skeleton."  Nevertheless  his  efforts  in 
the  public  interest  were  unremitting  down  to  the 
hour  of  his  weighing  anchor  for  home,  his  maxim 
being  that  it  was  better  for  a  man  to  serve  an  un- 
grateful country  than  to  give  up  his  fame. 

The  Boreas  sailed  for  England  in  June,  1787,  and 
arrived  at  Spithead  on  the  4th  of  July.  She  was 
not  paid  off  until  the  end  of  November.  In  the  pre- 
vious October  he  applied  to  Lord  Howe  for  a  ship  of 
the  line  but  was  told  that  as  the  Boreas v/diS  victualled 
for  three  months  and  ready  for  sea  he  must  hold 
himself  prepared  to  sail  at  a  moment's  notice.  No 
orders  were  received,  however,  and  the  disheartening 
condition  of  uncertainty  induced  emotions  of  disgust 
and  irritation.  The  Boreas  was  kept  at  the  Nore 
until  the  30th  of  November  as  a  slop  and  receiving 
ship  !  The  claims  which  Nelson  had  upon  the  at- 
tention of  the  Admiralty  deeply  underscored,  to  his 
sensitive  mind,  this  stroke  of  insulting  neglect.    It  is 


1782-87]  Reception  at  Court.  37 

said  that  had  he  possessed  the  means  of  Hving  inde- 
pendently on  shore  he  would  never  have  gone  to  sea 
again.  When  his  ship  was  at  last  paid  off  he  de- 
clared to  the  senior  officer  in  command  in  the  Med- 
way,  "  That  it  was  his  firm  and  unalterable  determi- 
nation never  again  to  set  foot  on  board  a  King's 
ship."  The  senior  officer  was  patriotic  enough  to 
understand  that  such  a  man  as  Nelson  must  on  no 
account  be  lost  to  the  country.  He  swiftly  and 
secretly  communicated  with  the  Admiralty,  with  the 
result  that  before  Nelson  went  ashore  with  the  inten- 
tion of  resigning  his  commission  he  received  a  kind 
letter  from  Lord  Howe,  who  expressed  a  wish  to  see 
him  on  his  arrival  in  town.  Nelson  called  upon 
Howe,  talked  to  him  about  the  West  Indies  and 
what  he  had  done  there,  and  so  pleased  him  that  he 
offered  to  present  him  to  the  King  on  the  first  levee 
day.  Nelson's  disgust  was  appeased  by  his  reception 
at  Court.  The  monarch's  graciousness  reanimated 
the  sailor's  loyalty,  which  it  is  very  certain  the  con- 
temptuous coldness  of  the  Admiralty  had  gone  very 
near  to  extinguish. 

Meanwhile  his  health  was  extremely  bad,  and, 
to  mitigate  the  consequences  of  an  English  winter 
upon  a  constitution  that  was  now  in  some  degree 
acclimatised  to  the  high  temperatures  of  the  West 
Indies,  he  resolved  to  visit  Bath.  He  afterwards 
retired  with  his  wife  to  Burnham  Thorpe.  His  in- 
tention had  been  to  go  to  France,  to  acquire  the  lan- 
guage with  the  help  of  his  wife  who  spoke  it  fluently, 
but  his  father  begged  him  to  remain  at  the  parson- 
age.    "  Horace,"  the  old  Rector  is  made  to  exclaim 


38 


77^.?  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  29 


by  Clarke  and  M'Arthur,  "  it  would  have  been  better 
that  I  had  not  been  thus  cheered  if  I  am  so  soon  to 
be  bereaved  of  you  again.  Let  me,  my  good  son, 
see  you  whilst  I  can  ;  my  age  and  infirmities  increase 
and  I  shall  not  last  long." 


CHAPTER   IV. 


Long  period  of  inactivity — Vain  application  for  employment — Life  iix 
the  country — Asks  for  command  of  a  cockle-boat — Commissioned  to 
the  Agamemnon — Sails  with  Lord  Hood's  fleet — Sir  William  and 
Lady  Hamilton  —  Anecdotes — Action  off  Sardinia — 
Services  on  the  coast  of  Corsica — Con- 
fidence reposed  in 
Nelson  —  Cession 
of  Corsica  to 
Great  Britain — 
Bastia. 


ROM  this  year,  1788,  or  rather 
from  the  30th  of  November, 
1787,  to  the  30th  of  January, 
1793,  Nelson,  whose  dehcate 
form  enclosed  the  genius  of  the 
greatest  sea-captain  the  world 
has  ever  produced,  was  com- 
pelled by  Departmental  neglect 
to  lie  by  in  an  almost  poverty- 
stricken  retirement.  John  Jervis 
had  been  even  worse  used.  The  gallant  associate  of 
Wolfe  was  neglected  and  unemployed  for  nearly 
twenty  years.*  Honourablesand  Right  Honourables, 
Lordlings,  Lords'  toadies,  led  Captains'  favourites, 
— these  and  the  like  of  these  obtained  recognition, 
encouragement,    employment ;    but    the    son    of   an 


*  Edinburgh  Review,  1839,  p.  40. 


40  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [-ct.  30 

humble  country  parson  must  be  without  influence; 
his  valuable  West  Indian  services  spoke  for  him,  but 
unfortunately  to  ears  which  were  unwilling  to  listen. 
That  he  could  have  gone  fresh  to  the  command  of 
a  ship  of  war,  equal  to  every  requirement  of  sea 
mancEuvre  and  of  naval  and  military  tactic,  after  his 
five  years  of  bucolic  rust,  shows  how  thoroughly  the 
ocean  had  done  its  work  with  him,  how  every  fibre 
in  him  had  been  laid  up  into  the  true  marine  strands 
of  the  British  nautical  character. 

Those  five  years  of  inactivity  must  have  been  a 
terrible  penance  to  his  eager  spirit.  He  sought  to 
kill  the  time  by  digging  in  his  father's  garden.  He 
and  his  wife  would  go  birds'-nesting.  He  studied 
charts,  read  the  periodical  works  of  the  day,  wrote, 
and  drew  plans.  His  favourite  amusement  was  cours- 
ing. One  of  his  biographers  tells  us  he  once  shot  a 
partridge,  but  his  manner  of  holding  a  gun  was  so 
awkward  —  keeping  the  piece  always  cocked  as 
though  he  were  about  to  board  an  enemy,  and  let- 
ting fly  when  a  bird  appeared  without  taking  aim  or 
putting  the  fowling-piece  to  his  shoulder — that  any 
one  who  attended  him  went  in  fear  of  his  life.  He 
was  sensible,  however,  of  his  imperfection  as  a 
sportsman :  "  Shoot  I  cannot,  and  therefore  I  have 
not  taken  out  a  licence."  *  One  day  he  went  to  the 
fair  to  buy  a  pony.  Whilst  he  was  gone  two  rough 
fellows  arrived  at  the  parsonage  and  asked  for 
Captain  Nelson.  Mrs.  Nelson  was  at  home.  They 
carefully  ascertained  that  she  was  veritably  Nelson's 
wife,  and  then  presented  her  with  a  writ  on  the  part 

♦  "  Dispatches  and  Correspondence,"  vol.  i.,  p.  282. 


1787-94]      Vain  Application  for  Command.        41 

of  the  American  captains  who  had  laid  their 
damages  at  i^20,ooo.  Nelson's  rage  on  his  return 
may  be  imagined.  His  was  the  constitutional 
irritability  of  genius  at  all  times,  and  we  may  sup- 
pose that  his  temper  had  not  been  sweetened  by  his 
long  spell  of  half-pay  obscurity,  which  yet  promised 
no  end,  and  by  the  cold-blooded  replies  he  had 
received  from  the  Admiralty  in  response  to  his 
entreaties  for  a  ship.  "  If  the  Government  will  not 
support  me,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  will  leave  the 
country  !  "  He  wrote  to  the  Treasury  and  promised 
that  if  a  satisfactory  answer  were  not  sent  him  by 
return  of  post  he  would  take  refuge  in  France.  In 
fact  he  made  every  arrangement  for  executing  his 
threat  even  whilst  he  was  despatching  it.  He  was 
to  go  first,  and  ten  days  later  Mrs.  Nelson  was  to 
follow  him  under  the  care  of  his  elder  brother, 
Maurice. 

Happily  his  friend  Captain  Pringle  came  to  the 
rescue.  He  was  to  be  supported  by  the  Treasury. 
"  Captain  Nelson  is  a  very  good  officer  and  need 
be  under  no  apprehension."  All  this  while  he 
was  corresponding  with  Prince  William  Henry, 
who  was  now  commander  of  the  Andromeda  frigate, 
whilst  the  Admiralty  would  not  give  the  future 
victor  of  Trafalgar  the  command  of  a  cock-boat. 
The  Prince  djd  his  best,  spoke  of  him  everywhere  in 
warm  terms  of  admiration,  recommended  him  to 
Lord  Chatham,  who  was  first  Lord  of  the  Admiralty 
in  July,  1788;  but  to  no  purpose.  On  the  5th  of 
December,  1792,  Nelson  wrote:  "  If  your  Lordships 
should  be  pleased  to  appoint  me  to  a  cockle-boat  I 


42  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  35 

should  feel  grateful."  This  letter,  Sir  Harris  Nicolas 
says,  is  not  to  be  found  ;  but  that  it  was  written, 
that  at  all  events  an  application  by  Nelson  was 
made,  may  be  gathered  from  the  subjoined  response, 
couched  in  the  traditional  British  Departmental 
tongue,  originally  designed,  no  doubt,  for  the  pro- 
duction and  encouragement  of  a  race  of  great  naval 
officers  for  the  defence  of  the  country.  "  Admiralty 
Office,  12  December,  1792.  Sir:  I  have  received 
your  letter  of  the  5th  instant  expressing  your  readi- 
ness to  serve,  and  I  have  read  the  same  to  my  Lords 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty."  "- 

After  five  years  of  unendurable  inactivity,  when 
hope  was  almost  dead  in  him,  he  was  commissioned 
to  the  Agamemnon,  a  very  fine  ship  of  sixty-four 
guns.  '^  Post  mibila  PJuvbus  !  "  he  joyfully  wrote  to 
his  wife ;  "  after  clouds  come  sunshine.  The 
Admiralty  so  smile  upon  me  that  really  I  am  as 
much  surprised  as  when  they  frowned."  But  then 
everything  now  was  indicating  war.  An  English 
ship  looking  into  Brest  had  been  fired  at.  The 
pacific  intentions  of  the  British  Government  had 
proved  of  no  avail,  and  there  was  nothing  for  it  but 
to  fight.  Lord  Hood  was  well  acquainted  with 
Nelson's  character ;  so  too  was  Prince  William  ;  the 
services  of  such  a  man  at  such  a  moment  must  be 
had;  and  so  on  the  27th  of  June,  we  find  the 
Agamemnon  sailing  for  Gibraltar  with  Lord  Hood's 
fleet,  nineteen  sail-of-the-line,  and  a  convoy  of  mer- 
chant-ships. 

Nelson  is  now  in  high  spirits.     "We  are  all  well," 

*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  i.,  p.  291. 


SIR    WILLIAM    HAMILTON. 


1787-94      Surrender  of  Toulon  to  Lord  Hood.      43 


he  wrote  to  his  wife  in  the  previous  month  ;  "  indeed, 
nobody  could  be  ill  with  my  ship's  company,  they 
are  so  fine  a  set.  Don't  mind  what  newspapers  say 
about  us."  "  I  not  only  like  the  ship,"  he  tells  his 
brother,  "  but  think  I  am  well  appointed  in  officers, 
and  we  are  manned  exceedingly  well ;  therefore  have 
no  doubt  that  we  shall  acquit  ourselves  well,  should 
the  French  give  us  a  meeting."  On  Lord  Hood's 
arrival  in  the  Mediterranean,  he  stationed  his  ships 
off  Toulon,  and  after  some  negotiations  it  was  agreed 
by  some  of  the  members  of  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment to  deliver  up  the  town,  arsenal,  ships,  forts,  etc., 
to  the  British  forces  in  the  name  of  Louis  XVIL 
After  this  surrender,  Nelson  was  ordered  to  Naples 
with  dispatches  for  Sir  William  Hamilton,  the  British 
Minister.  On  the  31st  of  August  the  Agamemnon 
fell  in  with  the  Tartar  with  Lord  Hugh  Seymour 
Conway  on  board,  who  sent  a  note  by  boat  to  him 
in  which  he  gave  him  news  of  what  had  happened 
at  Toulon  subsequent  to  his  sailing.  "  Our  fleet  and 
that  of  Spain  are  now  anchored,"  wrote  his  Lordship  ; 
**  our  squadron  landed  fifteen  hundred  men  on  the 
28th,  and  the  day  following  we  anchored  in  the  outer 
road."  Nelson's  astonishment  is  expressed  in  a  letter 
to  his  wife,  which  he  began  on  the  7th  and  closed 
on  the  nth  of  September.  "What  an  event,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  this  has  been  for  Lord  Hood  !  Such  an 
one  as  history  cannot  produce  its  equal ;  that  the 
strongest  place  in  Europe  and  twenty-two  sail-of-the- 
line,  etc.,  should  be  given  up  without  firing  a  shot ! 
It  is  not  to  be  credited." 

On  his  arrival  at  Naples  he  called  on  Sir  William 


44  Th^  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  35 

Hamilton,  and  Sir  John  Francis  Acton,  the  Prime- 
Minister,  a  man  of  English  origin,  born  in  1736  in 
France,  whose  spelling  in  his  English  letters  is 
only  a  little  less  illiterate  than  Lady  Hamilton's.* 
He  was  introduced  to  the  King  and  the  Court,  and 
overwhelmingly  welcomed  with  every  effusion  of 
Italian  emotion  as  the  representative  of  "  the  sav- 
iours of  Italy,"  as  the  English  were  called.  The 
plain  sailor  was  much  affected  by  the  King's  marked 
attention  and  condescension,  and  received  from  him, 
written  by  his  Majesty's  own  hand,  "  the  handsomest 
letter  that  can  be  penned  "  to  Lord  Hood,  offering 
six  thousand  troops  to  assist  in  the  preservation 
of  Toulon,  though  Hood's  demand  was  for  ten 
thousand. 

Now  it  was  that  he  was  first  introduced  to  Lady 
Hamilton,  "  the  bewitching  siren,"  as  she  is  again 
and  again  called  by  Nelson's  earlier  biographers, — a 
woman  whose  influence  over  the  Hero  in  the  years 
of  his  greatness  and  his  glory  imparts  such  an  ele- 
ment of  romance  to  his  story  that  the  like  of  it 
must  be  sought  for  in  vain  in  the  annals  of  the  great 
men  of  the  world.  It  is  unnecessary  to  trace  her 
career  in  these  pages.  Enough  if  it  be  said  that  she 
was  born  in  1763  ;  that  she  served  in  the  capacity  of 
nursemaid  to  Mr.  Thomas,  of  Hawarden,  and  to  Dr. 
Budd,  physician  ;  that  she  worked  for  a  time  as  serv- 
ant in  the  family  of  a  tradesman  in  St.  James's  Mar- 


*  March  ii,  1800,  Nelson  wrote  to  Admiral  Goodhall :  "Acton  is 
married  to  his  niece,  not  fourteen  years  of  age  :  so  you  hear  it  is 
never  too  late  to  do  well.  He  is  only  sixty-seven."  There  were  three 
children  by  this  marriage. 


^  \.v 


EMMA,    LAnv   HAMlLTr";-;. 

AFTER    A    PAINTING    BY    ROMNEY. 


1787-d4]  Lady  Hamilton.  45 

ket ;  that  she  had  as  friends  several  men  of  fashion 
and  disrepute  ;  that  she  was  the  "  goddess  of 
Health  "  of  the  notorious  Graham's  Temple  ;  that 
Romney,  the  painter,  thought  her  the  most  adorably- 
beautiful  woman  he  had  ever  beheld  ;  that  in  1786 
she  became  intimate  with  Sir  William  Hamilton, 
whom  she  married  in  London  on  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1791.  Mr.  Jeaffreson  thus  describes  her 
{circa  1786):  "She  was  still  a  lithe,  lissom,  agile, 
slim  girl,  with  a  waist  none  too  small  for  health  and 
classic  grace,  but  looking  somewhat  less  than  its 
actual  girth  by  reason  of  the  boldness  of  her  figure's 
upper  and  lower  contours,  which,  even  in  the  season 
of  her  bodily  slightness,  betokened  that  in  middle  age 
her  figure  would  be  less  remarkable  for  elegance  than 
for  stately  dignity.  .  .  .  Some  biographers  have 
preferred  to  speak  of  her  chestnut  hair,  but  in  doing 
so  they  were  thinking  of  the  deepest  colour  of  the 
chestnut's  rind — of  a  deep  brown,  toned  with  scarcely 
perceptible  redness.  Though  they  lacked  the  feath- 
ery softness  of  the  Byronic  curls,  Emma's  tresses  in 
their  colour  resembled  Byron's  hair  so  closely  that 
three  inches  snipped  from  the  end  of  one  of  her 
ringlets  might  be  used  to  give  greater  volume  to  a 
relic  taken  from  the  poet's  head,"  *  To  beauties  of 
face  and  form  she  united  talents  of  an  alluring  sort. 
She  was  a  sweet  singer  ;  she  played  the  harp  agreea- 
bly, and  Lieutenant  Parsons  is  never  more  effusive 
than  when  he  describes  her  bending  her  lovely  figure 
over  that  instrument ;  she  was  an  excellent  actress, 

*  "  Lady  Hamilton  and  Lord  Nelson,"  vol.  i.,  p.  145. 


46  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         ^Kx-  35 

with  great  command  over  her  face,  and  she  was  a 
mistress  of  postures.* 

The  manner  and  circumstance  of  her  meeting  with 
Nelson  were,  it  may  be  supposed,  related  by  herself 
to  Harrison,  whose  life  of  the  Hero  was  written 
under  her  eye.  Nearly  everything  she  delivers  is 
highly  coloured,  but  there  is  probably  truth  in  her 
account  of  Nelson's  introduction  to  her.  Sir  Wil- 
liam, after  a  short  conversation  with  the  Captain  of 
the  Agamemnon,  told  Lady  Hamilton  that  he  would 
introduce  her  to  a  little  man  who  was  not  indeed 
handsome,  but  who  would  become  the  greatest  man 
that  England  ever  produced.  "  I  know  it,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  from  the  very  few  words  of  conversation 
I  have  already  had  with  him.  I  pronounce  that  he 
will  one  day  astonish  the  world.  I  have  never  enter- 
tained any  officer  at  my  house,  but  I  am  determined 
to  bring  him  here  ;  let  him  be  put  in  the  room  pre- 
pared for  Prince  Augustus."  Nelson  is  reported  to 
have  said  to  Sir  William  towards  the  close  of  their 
first  conference  :  "  You  are  a  man  after  my  own 
heart ;  you  do  business  in  my  own  way ;  I  am  now 
only  captain,  but  if  I  live  I  will  be  at  the  top  of  the 
tree."  All  through  his  life  Nelson  is  made,  by  his 
biographers,  to  boast  and  brag  of  what  he  has  done 
and  will  do.  Yet  conspicuous  amongst  his  finest 
qualities  was  his  modesty.  We  may  be  quite  sure 
that  he  said  but  very  little  of  what  has  been  put  into 
his  mouth. 

Of  Lady  Hamilton  he  wrote  thus  briefly  and  drily 
to  his  wife  :    "  She  is  a   young  woman  of  amiable 

*  Petligrew.     Vol.  i.,  p.  407  ;  ii.,  p.  599. 


1787-94]  Action  off  Sardinia.  47 

manners  and  who  does  honour  to  the  station  in 
which  she  is  raised."  He  is  content  to  claim  his 
wife's  regard  for  her  by  saying  that  "  Lady  Hamil- 
ton has  been  wonderfully  good  and  kind  to  Josiah," 
— that  is  to  say,  to  Mrs.  Nelson's  son  by  her  first 
husband,  now  in  his  step-father's  ship. 

He  returned  to  the  fleet,  and  on  the  9th  of  Oc- 
tober received  from  Lord  Hood  sealed  orders, 
which  subsequently  despatched  him  to  Cagliari, 
where  he  placed  himself  under  the  direction  of  Com- 
modore Linzee.  On  the  22d,  when  off  the  Island 
of  Sardinia,  having  only  three  hundred  and  forty- 
five  men  at  quarters,  he  fell  in  with  and  chased  four 
French  frigates  and  a  brig.  One  of  them,  the  Mel- 
pomene, he  disabled  ;  the  other  ships  declined  to  bring 
the  Agamemnon  again  to  action,  and  hauled  from 
her  to  look  to  their  sinking  consort.  Nelson's  ship 
was  so  cut  to  pieces  aloft  that  she  was  unable  to 
brace  up  to  pursue.  "  Captain  Nelson,"  wrote  young 
William  Hoste,  then  a  midshipman  on  board  the 
Agamemnon,  in  an  account  of  this  conflict  sent  to 
his  father,  "  is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  first 
characters  in  the  Service,  and  is  universally  beloved 
by  his  men  and  ofificers."  There  could  have  been 
nothing  as  yet,  however,  but  a  personal  superiority 
in  conversation,  in  theories  of  discipline,  and  in  profes- 
sional opinions  to  compel  such  a  judgment  as  this. 
He  had  spent  five  years  in  obscurity.  His  West 
Indian  services  were  hardly  of  a  sort  to  be  highly 
valued  by  his  sea-brethren  as  illustrations  of  a 
heroic  character.  Little  had  come  to  his  hand  to  do 
since  he  had  taken  command  of  the  Agamemnon ; 


4^  Tlie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Ct.  36 

yet  already  everybody  \vas  talking  of  him  as  one  of 
the  first  characters  in  the  Service.  The  compelling 
strength  of  the  individualism  this  indicates  is  extra- 
ordinary, particularly  if  we  consider  how  bitter  were 
the  vocational  jealousies  of  those  times,  "  when,"  as 
the  old  saying  used  to  go,  "  if  there  was  ever  a  naval 
officer  to  be  roasted  there  was  always  a  naval  officer 
close  by  ready  to  turn  the  spit." 

It  would  need  a  stout  volume  to  contain  the  services 
of  Nelson  whilst  on  the  coast  of  Corsica.  Lord  Hood 
gave  him  the  command  of  a  squadron  of  frigates  to 
protect  British  trade,  and  to  preserve  that  of  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany.  Nelson  always  regarded 
Lord  Hood  as  the  greatest  sea-officer  he  had  ever 
met.  Yet  of  this  fine  old  Admiral's  conduct  at 
Toulon,  Sheridan,  in  1804,  in  the  debate  on  the 
prizes  taken  at  Toulon,  could  say,  "  he  was  entitled 
to  the  strongest  reprobation  "  !  *  His  discernment 
of  Nelson's  genius  was  prompt  and  decisive.  When 
the  Hero  received  his  appointment  to  the  command 
of  a  squadron,  there  were  five  captains  his  seniors  in 
the  fleet.  But  the  Commanders-in-chief  under  which 
he  served  seemed  always  to  know  their  man.  In 
1796  he  wrote  to  his  wife:  "  One  captain  told  me: 
'  You  did  just  as  you  pleased  in  Lord  Hood's  time, 
the  same  in  Admiral  Hotham's,  and  now  again  with 
Sir  John  Jervis  ;  it  makes  no  difference  to  you  who 
is  Commander-in-chief.'  I  returned,"  he  adds,  "  a 
pretty  strong  answer  to  this  speech."     It  was  true 

*  Naval  Chronicle,  vol.  ii.,  p.  485.  The  virulence  of  party  feeling 
that  the  whole  debate  exhibits  seems  incredible  even  in  this  age  of 
abusive  ranting  "politicians." 


1787-94]        Services  on  Coast  of  Corsica.  49 

nevertheless,  and  the  truth  of  it  was  the  secret  of 
St.  Vincent  and  Copenhagen,  if  not  of  Aboukir  and 
Trafalgar. 

It  was  held  as  a  matter  of  the  first  consequence 
after  the  evacuation  of  Toulon,  that  Corsica  should 
be  in  the  hands  of  the  British.  Paoli,  a  name 
familiar  to  all  readers  of  Boswell's  "  Life  of  John- 
son," was  the  leader  of  the  insurgents.  He  desired 
the  assistance  of  the  English,  and  the  island  was 
ceded  to  Great  Britain.  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  was 
appointed  Viceroy,  Nelson  meanwhile  was  cruising 
off  the  island,  actively  engaged  in  annoying  the 
French  and  in  preventing  any  supplies  from  reach- 
ing them.  In  the  "  Dispatches  and  Letters  "  is  an 
abstract  of  his  services,*  in  which  we  find  him  land- 
ing four  miles  from  St.  Fiorenzo,  and  burning  the 
only  water-mill  in  that  part  of  the  country;  then 
burning  four  polacres  loaded  with  wine  for  the 
French  ;  then  burning  eight  sail  of  vessels  and  de- 
stroying a  thousand  tons  of  wine  ;  then  attacking  a 
French  courier  boat ;  cannonading  Bastia  and  so  on  : 
all  the  dates  very  rapid, — February  6th,  8th,  12th, 
19th,  24th,  26th.  He  furnished  Lord  Hood  with  an 
intelligent  and  valuable  report  on  Bastia  and  its 
defences.  "  It  is  a  beautiful  place,"  he  writes  to  his 
wife  under  date  of  May  4th,  "  and  the  environs  de- 
lightful, with  the  most  romantic  views  I  ever  beheld. 
This  island  is  to  belong  to  England,  to  be  governed 
by  its  own  laws  as  Ireland,  and  a  Viceroy  placed 
here,  with  free  ports.  Italy  and  Spain  are  jealous 
of  our  obtaining  possession  ;    it  will  command  the 

*  Vol.  i.,  p.  349. 


50  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         I^t.  36 

Mediterranean."  He  was  certain  that  if  Bastia  were 
attacked  it  would  fall.  Sir  David  Dundas,  the  com- 
mander of  the  forces  thought  otherwise,  though 
Lord  Hood  agreed  with  the  little  Captain  of  the 
Agamemnon.  Nelson  had  a  poor  opinion  of  soldiers. 
They  were  too  slow  for  his  headlong  mind.  His 
prejudices  dated  from  1780,  the  year  of  the  expedi- 
tion against  San  Juan,  when  he  had  himself  to  lead 
the  troops  and  show  them  what  to  do.  And  now 
off  Corsica  he  writes  to  his  wife  :  "  If  I  had  carried 
with  me  five  hundred  troops,  to  a  certainty  I  should 
have  stormed  the  town  and  I  believe  it  might  have 
been  carried.  Armies  go  so  slow  that  seamen  think 
they  never  mean  to  get  forward,  but  I  dare  say  they 
act  on  a  surer  principle,  although  we  seldom  fail." 
In  his  own  sailors  he  had  the  most  unbounded  confi- 
dence. He  considered  them  invincible,  and  under 
him  assuredly  they  proved  so.  "  They  really  mind 
shot  no  more  than  peas,"  he  proudly  tells  Mrs. 
Nelson 

Troops,  marines,  and  seamen  were  disembarked 
for  the  siege  on  the  3d  of  April.  The  English  bat- 
teries did  not  open  until  the  nth,  on  which  day 
Lord  Hood  had  sent  a  flag  of  truce  and  a  summons 
to  surrender.  "  I  have  hot  shot,"  was  the  answer, 
"  for  your  ships,  and  bayonets  for  your  troops. 
When  two  thirds  of  our  men  are  killed  I  will  then 
trust  to  the  generosity  of  the  English."  On  which 
the  batteries  let  fly.  Bastia  was  taken  possession  of 
on  the  22d.  At  six  in  the  morning  the  troops 
marched  from  their  posts,  the  band  playing  "  God 
save  the  Kin<r."    At  seven  the  tri-colour  to  xVA\t  and 


1787-941  Capture  of  Bastia.  51 

left  was  hauled  down  and  the  British  colours  hoisted 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors.  Nelson 
called  it  "  the  most  glorious  sight  that  an  English- 
man could  experience  and  which  I  believe  none  but 
an  Englishman  could  bring  about,"  and  adds,  ''four 
thousand  five  hundred  men  laying  down  their  arms 
to  less  than  one  thousand  British  soldiers  who  were 
serving  as  marines  !  " 

During  this  siege  he  was  hurt  in  the  back  :  he 
speaks  of  it  as  a  cut.  The  capture  of  Bastia  was 
largely — indeed  if  we  look  closely  into  the  narrative 
of  it  we  might  think  almost  wholly — owing  to  Nel- 
son. He  rightly  conceived  that  his  services  were  not 
fairly  represented,  nor  justly  emphasised  in  Hood's 
dispatch.  The  old  Admiral  might  have  written 
hurriedly,  yet  he  could  find  leisure  to  heap  praise 
upon  a  Royal  Artillery  officer.  ''  When  I  reflect," 
Nelson  wrote  to  William  Suckling,  February  7, 
1795,  '*  that  I  was  the  cause  of  re-attacking  Bastia, 
after  our  wise  generals  gave  it  over  from  not  know- 
ing the  force,  fancying  it  two  thousand  men ;  that  it 
was  I  who  landed,  joined  the  Corsicans,  and  with 
only  my  ship's  party  of  marines,  drove  the  French 
under  the  walls  of  Bastia  ;  that  it  was  I  who  know- 
ing the  force  in  Bastia  to  be  upwards  of  four 
thousand  men,  as  I  have  now  only  ventured  to  tell 
Lord  Hood,  landed  with  only  twelve  hundred  men, 
and  kept  the  secret  to  within  this  week  past ; — what 
I  must  have  felt  during  the  whole  siege  may  be 
easily  conceived.  Yet  I  am  scarcely  mentioned.  I 
freely  forgive,  but  cannot  forget."  *     However,  in 

*  Quoted  by  Pettigrew  from  the  AtliencEuin  for  1834. 


52 


The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  36 


the  previous  July  he  had  written  to  the  same  corre- 
spondent that  Lord  Hood  and  himself  were  never 
better  friends,  and  adds  :  "  Nor,  although  his  letter 
does,  did  he  wish  to  put  me  where  I  never  was — in 
the  rear." 


CHAPTER  V. 


Attack  on  Calvi — Nekon's  eye  hurt — Genoa 
— Newspaper  lies — A  cottage  ashore — 
Money-loss  through  services — Action  with 
Trench  fleet — The  Againeiiiiwn  and  the 
Ca  Ira — Nelson  made  Colonel  of  Marines 
— Action  with  the  French  fleet — General 
de  Vins — A  scandalous  accusation — A  seat 
in  Parliament  offered  —  Evacuation  of 
Corsica — Action  with  the  Saii(a  Sabina, 

AIA  I  was  the  next  object  of  attack. 
Nelson's  colleague  was  this  time 

General  Sir  Charles  Stuart.  On 
the  19th  of  June,  1794,  the  troops,  consisting  of 
1,450  men,  were  disembarked  at  Port  Agro.  The 
service  was  extraordinarily  laborious.  The  guns 
had  to  be  dragged  up  acclivities,  often  steep,  and  to 
a  distance  of  not  less  than  a  mile  and  a  half.  It 
was  on  the  12th  of  July  that  the  enemy  suddenly 
opened  a  heavy  fire  from  San  Francesco.  A  mili- 
tary of^cer  named  Anderson,  with  two  others  of  the 
51st  Regiment,  were  standing  with  Nelson  in  his 
battery  when  a  shell  fell  upon  the  ramparts,  from 
which  they  were  taking  a  view  of  the  structure  the 
enemy  had  erected  opposite.  They  instantly  flung 
themselves  down  on  their  faces,  and  the  shell  burst 
in  the  sand-bags  of  which  the  battery  was  composed. 

53 


54  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  36 

Nelson,  on  rising,  exclaimed  that  there  was  some- 
thing in  his  eye.  The  officers  examined  it,  said  they 
could  see  nothing  but  a  little  sand,  and  advised  him 
to  wash  it.  The  sight  of  the  eye  did  not  immediately 
fail  him,  but  he  ultimately  lost  it.  He  described 
the  disaster  to  his  wife  thus,  in  a  letter  dated  Au- 
gust 1 8th:  "As  it  is  all  past  I  may  now  tell  you 
that  on  the  lOth  of  July  [so  in  Clarke  and  M Ar- 
thur, but  the  date  is  the  I2th],*  a  shot  having  hit 
our  battery,  the  splinters  and  stones  from  it  struck 
me  with  great  violence  in  the  face  and  breast. 
Although  the  blow  was  so  severe  as  to  occasion  a 
great  flow  of  blood  from  my  head,  yet  I  most  for- 
tunately escaped,  having  only  my  right  eye  nearly 
deprived  of  its  sight." 

After  the  capture  of  Calvi,  Nelson  was  sent  to  the 
Mole  of  Genoa  with  dispatches  to  Mr.  Drake,  the 
Minister  there.  He  found  Genoa  a  magnificent  city 
of  palaces,  and  wrote  of  it  with  such  enthusiasm  of 
poetic  delight  as  is  very  rarely  indeed  to  be  found 
in  his  plain,  straightforward,  sailorly  correspondence. 
The  Doge  received  him  with  some  sort  of  state,  was 
full  of  civilities  and  courtesies,  and  was  satisfied  by 
Nelson's  assurance  that  the  strictest  attention  should 
be  paid  to  the  neutrality  of  Genoa.  In  November 
he  was  sent  to  look  after  the  French  fleet,  and  found 
sixteen  sail-of-the-linc,  and  several  frigates  at  Toulon. 
A  report  which  he  calls  "  diabolical  "  was  at  this 
time  current  that  the  Againcmnon  had  been  captured 
by  the  French.  Nelson  wrote  indignantly  to  his 
wife  :  "  Never  believe  any  thing  you  may  see  in  the 

♦  See  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol    i.,  p.  435. 


1794-96]       Thoughts  of  a  Cottage  Home.  55 

papers  about  us,  and  rest  assured  that  Agamemnon 
is  not  to  be  taken  easily  ;  no  two-deck  ship  in  the 
world,  we  flatter  ourselves,  is  able  to  do  it."  He 
loved  his  ship  as  if  she  were  his  wife  ;  she  grew  in 
his  affection  in  proportion  as  she  was  cut  up  and 
maimed  by  the  balls  of  the  enemy.  He  declared 
that  she  was  the  finest  ship  he  had  ever  sailed  in, 
and  protested  that  were  she  a  seventy-four  nothing 
could  induce  him  to   leave  her  whilst  the  war  lasted. 

About  this  time  his  mind  was  much  fixed  on  the 
fancy  of  a  cottage  ashore.  One  thinks  of  it  as  a 
sailor's  dream  and  idealism,  the  growth  out  of  many 
a  lonely  quarter-deck  reverie  in  distant  seas  of  the 
picture  of  a  little  roof  nestling  red  amid  the  branches 
of  trees,  with  the  scent  of  the  honeysuckle  sweet  upon 
the  air,  and  all  about  a  pleasant  summer  noise  of 
bees  and  the  songs  of  birds,  and  the  lowing  of  cat- 
tle knee-deep  amidst  the  buttercups.  His  hope 
is  to  live  with  his  wife  for  many  happy  years  in  this 
cottage,  which  he  is  determined  to  purchase  "  if  we 
can  bring  ;^2,ooo  round."  So  far  the  war  had  done 
considerably  less  than  nothing  for  him.  The  taking 
of  Corsica,  he  tells  Suckling,  like  the  taking  of  San 
Juan,  cost  him  money:  San  Juan  some  i^500 ; 
Corsica,  ^300,  together  with  an  eye  and  a  cut  across 
his  back.  Nothing  but  his  determined  resolution 
to  serve  his  country  enabled  him  to  support  the 
neglect  he  was  at  this  time  experiencing. 

March  10,  1795,  brought  intelligence  to  Admiral 
Hotham  that  the  French  fleet  had  been  seen  off  the 
Isle  of  Marguerite.  Nelson,  in  full  expectation  of  a 
general   action,  writes  thus  to  his  wife  whilst  the 


56  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.  36 

signal  is  flying  for  a  general  chase :  "  My  character  and 
good  name  are  in  my  own  keeping.  Life  with  dis- 
grace is  dreadful.  A  glorious  death  is  to  be  envied  ; 
and  if  anything  happens  to  me,  recollect  that  death 
is  a  debt  we  must  all  pay,  and  whether  now  or  a  few 
years  hence  can  be  but  of  little  consequence."  But 
spite  of  this  philosophical  view  a  few  years  proved 
of  great  consequence  to  him,  and  of  greater  conse- 
quence yet  to  the  nation  he  served  as  never  before 
was  nation  served  by  a  sea-captain  of  her  breeding. 
Hotham  was  a  respectable  sailor,  representing  a 
school  of  which  Gambler  was  another  example.  A 
very  little  in  the  shape  of  victory  went  a  long  way 
with  him.  Sir  William  Hamilton,  sitting  snug  amidst 
his  collection  of  art  curiosities  in  his  pleasant  home 
overlooking  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Naples,  could 
write  to  Nelson  that,  "  entre  nous"  his  "  old  friend 
Hotham  is  not  quite  awake  enough  for  such  a 
command  as  that  of  the  British  fleet  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, although  he  is  the  best  creature  imaginable."  * 
Had  Nelson  been  in  Hotham's  place,  the  naval  his- 
torian would  have  had  to  tell  of  this  conflict  with 
the  French  fleet  a  story  very  different  indeed  from 
what  Hotham  obliges  him  to  recite.  First  the  sig- 
nal was  made  for  eighteen  sail  of  Frenchmen,  then 
for  twenty-five  sail.  March  the  nth  the  British 
were  in  order  of  battle  with  light  draughts  of  variable 
wind  brushing  the  heavy  swell  running  from  the 
south-west.  Next  day  the  two  fleets  were  close,  the 
wind  still  all  round  the  compass,  and  the  English 
almost  becalmed.     So  it  goes  on  till  the  13th,  when 

*  Southey. 


1794-961         Action  zvith  French  Fleet.  57 

a  fresh  breeze  comes  on  to  blow,  and  the  English 
pursue  the  French,  who  are  some  three  or  four 
leagues  distant.  A  French  liner  carries  away  her 
fore-  and  main-topmasts ;  the  frigate  Inconstant 
plumps  a  broadside  into  her,  but  the  big  French- 
man's shot  obliges  her  to  stagger  away.''^  The  dis- 
abled vessel  proves  to  be  the  pz  Ira,  of  84  guns ; 
there  are  two  others  hard  by,  the  Sans  Culotte,  120 
guns,  and  the  Jean  Barras,  74  guns.  Nelson  heads 
for  the  pz  Ira,  whose  hawser  is  now  aboard  a  frigate. 
The  pz  Ira  lets  fly  her  stern-chasers,  and  so  well 
directed  are  the  guns  that  not  a  shot  misses.  On 
this  the  Agamemnon  starboards  her  helm,  and  as  she 
falls  off,  gives  the  ^a  Ira  her  whole  broadside,  each 
gun  double-shotted.  This  manoeuvre  is  practised 
until  one  o'clock,  the  Frenchman  meanwhile  never 
being  able  to  bring  a  broadside  gun  to  bear  upon 
his  opponent.  At  dark,  the  Agamemnon  takes  her 
station,  and  the  combat  is  over  till  daylight.  The 
Agamemnon  is  then  at  the  p?  Ira  again,  now  in  tow 
of  le  Censeiir,  and  at  five  minutes  past  ten  she  and 
Le  Censeiir  strike  to  Nelson. f  His  manoeuvring  in 
this  affair  is  extraordinarily  masterful.  The  cap- 
tured vessels  fought  more  gallantly  than  all  the 
others  of  the  French,  owing,  it  is  said,  to  a  belief 
amongst  the  crews  that  no  quarter  would  be  given 
if  they  were  taken.  They  discharged  red-hot  shot  and 
used  a  sort  of  Greek  fire.     When  these  vessels  had 


*  James  says  the  frigate  "  gave  her  {Qa  Ira)  a  broadside  and  stood 
on." 

f  From  Nelson's  own  account.  James's  slightly  differs.  "  Nav. 
His.,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  2S6,  287. 


58  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7i.  [^t.36 


struck,  Nelson  went  on  board  Admiral  Hotham 
and  proposed  that  the  two  crippled  British  ships,* 
the  two  prizes,  and  four  frigates  should  be  left 
to  themselves,  that  the  enemy,  who  were  heading 
under  a  press  for  the  Isles  of  Hieres,  might  be  pur- 
sued ;  but  the  Admiral  answered  :  "  No,  we  must  be 
contented,  we  have  done  very  well."  "  Now,"  says 
Nelson  in  a  letter  to  his  wife  [April  1st],  "had  we 
taken  ten  sail  and  had  allowed  the  eleventh  to 
escape  when  it  had  been  possible  to  have  got  at 
her,  I  could  never  have  called  it  well  done."  He 
is  of  opinion  that  it  was  in  the  Admiral's  power 
to  have  had  such  a  day  as  was  not  to  be  met  with 
in  the  annals  of  England.  His  theory,  the  deter- 
mining impulse  of  his  whole  career  in  his  relation 
with  the  French  as  foes,  is  strong  here :  "  I  verily 
think,  if  the  Admiral  can  get  hold  of  them  once 
more,  and  he  does  but  get  us  close  enough,  that  we  shall 
have  the  whole  fleet.  Nothing  can  stop  the  courage 
of  English  seamen." 

He  returned  to  St.  Fiorenzo,  and  there  remained 
until  the  i6th  of  April,  on  which  day  he  wrote  to  Sir 
Gilbert  Elliot,  the  Viceroy  of  Corsica,  offering  his 
own  services  and  the  command  besides  of  such 
seamen  as  might  be  landed  should  the  island  be 
attacked.  Then  for  ten  days  we  hear  of  him 
beating  to  the  westward,  with  the  idea  of  joining 
expected  reinforcements  from  England.  He  con- 
sidered that  the  fleet  had  been  forgotten  by  the 
people  at  home.  More  ships  and  men  were  badly 
needed  ;   the   French  were  in  great  force ;  and  he 

*  llluslrious  and  Courageux, 


1794-96]  Made  Colonel  of  Marines.  59 


wrote  to  Captain  Locker  that,  had  the  British  ves- 
sels **  not,  fortunately,  so  much  crippled  the  masts 
of  the  enemy  in  the  action,  we  should  have  been  left 
here  in  a  very  inferior  state."  He  was  astonished 
to  learn  that  the  store-ships  and  victuallers  from 
Gibraltar  had  arrived  in  the  fleet ;  their  escape  from 
the  enemy  he  considered  wonderful,  and  significantly 
adds :  "  Had  we  lost  them  our  game  was  up  here."  * 
Lord  Hood  had  himself  remonstrated  with  the  Ad- 
miralty on  the  smallness  of  the  reinforcement  which 
he  was  ordered  to  take  out  to  the  Mediterranean. 
The  resignation  of  his  command  excited  great  re- 
gret. Nelson  in  particular  held  that  had  Hood 
remained  in  the  Mediterranean  the  British  might 
have  regained  Toulon,  the  Royalists  then  (August) 
being  much  more  numerous  at  that  place  than  they 
were  when  possession  was  first  taken  of  it. 

There  was  a  promotion  of  flag-officers  on  the  ist 
of  June,  designed  by  the  King  to  increase  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  commemoration  of  Howe's  victory  over 
the  French  in  the  preceding  year.  The  epaulet  was 
on  this  occasion  for  the  first  time  introduced  into  the 
British  Navy.  Nelson  was  made  a  Colonel  of  Marines. 
The  appointment  was  valuable  to  him  as  an  honour, 
and  it  added  to  his  pay.  The  Colonelcy  was  that 
of  the  Chatham  Division.  On  the  4th  of  July  Nelson, 
still  in  command  of  the  Agamemnon,  accompanied 
by  a  small  squadron  of  frigates,  was  despatched  to 
co-operate  with  the  Austrian  General  de  Vins  in 
driving  the  French  out  of  the  Riviera  of  Genoa. 
He  was  chased  for  twenty-four  hours  by  the  French 

*     Clarke  and  M'Arthur.     Vol.  I.,  p.  308. 


6o  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.       \kx,  36 

fleet  of  seventeen  liners  and  six  frigates,  and  ran 
close  to  St.  Fiorenzo,  the  enemy  in  hot  pursuit ;  but 
though  the  breeze  was  variable,  it  was  an  inshore 
wind  for  the  most  part,  and  the  English  fleet  could 
not  get  out  to  his  assistance.  He  ascribed  his  salva- 
tion to  the  enemy  being  neither  seamen  nor  officers. 

On  the  13th  Admiral  Hotham  weighed  with 
twenty-three  sail-of-the-line,  and  on  the  14th,  ac- 
cording to  Nelson,  got  sight  of  the  French  fleet. 
The  weak  west  wind  died  away,  a  light  easterly  aij 
followed,  and  the  French  reached  their  own  coast, 
This  is  Nelson's  account,  communicated  in  a  letter 
to  Captain  Locker.  James's  version,  however,  rep- 
resents that  during  the  night  of  the  12th  there  was 
a  heavy  gale  from  the  west-north-west,  which  split 
the  main  top-sails  of  six  of  the  British  ships  ;  and 
that  next  day  at  daybreak  it  was  still  blowing  strong, 
with  a  high  swell.  The  enemy  was  then  in  sight. 
At  half-past  noon  the  wind  suddenly  shifted  into 
the  north,  which  enabled  the  rearmost  of  the  French 
ships  to  bring  their  guns  to  bear  upon  the  British  van. 
VAlcide,  seventy-four,  after  some  brisk  cannonading, 
struck  to  the  Ctimbcrland ;  but  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  after  her  surrender  she  caught  fire  in  the  fore- 
top,  and  was  speedily  in  a  blaze  fore  and  aft.  There 
were  si.x  hundred  and  fifteen  souls  aboard,  of  whom 
three  hundred  only  were  saved  by  the  boats  of  the 
nearest  British  ships.*  Nelson  wrote  contemptuously 
of  the  behaviour  of  the  French,  and  spoke  of  the 
conflict  as  "  a  miserable  action." 

His  co-operation  with  General  de  Vins  must  be 

*  James.     Vol.  i.,  p.  296. 


1794-96]        Co-Operation  with  de  Vins.  6i 

briefly  dealt  with.  Austria  had  engaged  in  May, 
1795,  to  provide  two  hundred  thousand  effective  men 
in  the  different  armies  in  the  campaign  of  the  year, 
on  condition  that  England  supplied  ;i^4,6oo,ooo. 
De  Vins  appears  to  have  been  another  Mack. 
"  Everything  done,"  Nelson  wrote  to  his  wife,  "v/as 
slow  beyond  description."  He  sought  to  hasten  the 
Austrian  general  into  measures  which  should  have 
some  correspondence  with  his  own  eager  desires, 
but  De  Vins  was  not  apparently  very  grateful  for 
his  proposals.  Nelson's  services  and  experiences  in 
connection  with  the  Austrian  chief  excited  in  him 
an  immovable  disgust  to  all  Continental  alliances. 
The  behaviour  of  De  Vins  forced  the  conclusion 
upon  him  that  the  whole  policy  of  the  Emperor  of 
Austria  was  simply  directed  to  obtain  another  four 
millions  of  English  money. 

A  scandalous  accusation  about  this  time  filled 
Nelson  with  resentment,  and  confirmed  his  dislike 
and  distrust  of  England's  Austrian  allies.  He  and 
other  naval  officers  were  charged  with  secretly 
permitting  the  enemy  to  land  thei-r  cargoes  for 
the  supply  of  the  French  army  on  the  Riviera  of 
Genoa.  The  King  of  Sardinia  credited  the  report 
Nelson,  burning  with  indignation,  addressed  a  letter 
to  Lord  Grenville,  demanding  a  rigorous  inquiry  on 
behalf  of  himself  and  his  brother  officers.  "  For 
myself,"  he  exclaimed,  "  from  my  earliest  youth  I 
have  been  in  the  naval  service  ;  and  (in  two  wars) 
have  been  in  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty 
skirmishes  at  sea  and  on  shore  ;  have  lost  an  eye 
and   otherwise   blood    in    fip^htingf    the    enemies    of 


62  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.  3; 


my  king  and  country  ;  and  God  knows,  instead  of 
riches,  my  little  fortune  has  been  diminished  in 
the  service."  His  noble,  dignified,  affecting  protest 
concluded  with  a  pathetic  lament  that  one  who 
deserved  of  his  country  as  he  did  should  be  libelled 
by  an  accusation  "  of  a  most  traitorous  nature.''  The 
outrageous  charge  originated  with  Austrian  oflficers, 
and  is  ascribed  less  to  malice  than  to  their  ignorance 
of  naval  affairs. 

In  this  year  he  was  offered  a  seat  in  Parliament. 
He  declined  to  enter  the  House  save  in  the  Whig 
interest,  and  proposed  that  the  Duke  of  Portland 
should  be  applied  to  through  Lord  and  Lady  Wal- 
pole,  "  for,"  he  adds,  "  although  I  have  so  often 
seen  the  French  shot,  yet  truly  I  have  seen  little  of 
their  money."  Towards  the  close  of  1795,  Sir  John 
Jervis,  afterwards  Earl  of  St.  Vincent,  arrived  at 
St.  Fiorenzo  (November  29th)  and  took  command 
of  the  fleet.  The  Agamemnon  went  to  Leghorn  to 
refit.  Her  condition  curiously  illustrated  the  ser- 
vices of  her  commander  in  her.  Charnock  tells  us  * 
that  there  was  not  a  yard,  mast,  or  sail,  nor  any 
part  of  her  rigging,  but  needed  repair,  owing  to  the 
shot  she  received  ;  and  her  hull  was  kept  together 
by  cables,  which  frapped  or  woolded  the  fabric  from 
stem  to  stern.  His  duties  and  performances  down 
to  the  day  of  the  battle  of  St.  Vincent  were  minute, 
laborious,  of  inestimable  value  to  his  country  and 
to  the  security  of  those  whom  it  was  the  business 
of  our  fleet  to  protect,  but  of  little  interest  as  a 
narrative.     He  boarded  vessels,  captured  transports, 

*  Charnock's  "  Life  of  Nelson,"  p.  31. 


1794-96]  Evacuation  of  Corsica.  63 


made  fiery  proposals  in  respect  to  Vado  Bay  and 
the  pursuit  of  enemy's  ships-of-war  and  convoys. 
"  Had  all  my  actions,"  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  August 
2,  1796,  "  been  gazetted,  not  one  fortnight  would 
have  passed  during  the  whole  war  without  a  letter 
from  me  ;  one  day  or  other  I  will  have  a  long  gazette 
to  myself." 

On  the  I  ith  of  June  *  he  hoisted  his  commodore's 
pennant  on  board  the  Captain,  of  seventy-four  guns. 
The  Agamenmon,  a  ship  he  had  rendered  the  most 
famous  of  all  then  in  the  Royal  Navy,  was  sent 
home  with  a  convoy.  A  defensive  alliance  with 
Spain,  entered  into  by  the  French  Directory,  ren- 
dered expedient  the  evacuation  of  Corsica,  The 
Corsicans  had  from  the  beginning  looked  coldly  upon 
the  English  ;  the  instant  the  enemy  landed  in  force 
it  was  felt  that  every  man  in  the  interior  would  take 
part  with  him,  and  Sir  John  Jervis  blessed  himself 
that  the  evacuation  had  taken  place  before  he  re- 
ceived orders  to  maintain  the  Viceroy  in  the  sover- 
eignty of  the  island.  Nelson  superintended  the 
evacuation.  The  partisans  of  France  rendered  this 
service  a  difficult  one.  British  property  was  seques- 
tered, and  a  plan  was  laid  for  seizing  the  Viceroy. 
Conspiracies  of  this  sort  Nelson  terminated  by  threat- 
ening to  batter  down  the  town  of  Bastia.  The  guns 
of  a  privateer  moored  across  the  Mole  head  were 
levelled  at  Captain  Sutton,  who  had  been  despatched 
with  Nelson's  message  ;  whereupon  Sutton,  pulling 

*  Pettigrew  ;  Clarke  and  M' Arthur  say  :  "  On  the  15th  of  August 
Nelson  received  an  order  which  established  him  commodore,"  vol.  i., 
p.  450- 


64  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  38 

out  his  watch,  said  he  would  give  the  committee  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  to  arrive  at  a  decision,  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which  time  the  ships  would  open  fire.  It 
is  said  that  the  very  sentinels,  on  hearing  this,  rushed 
away,  and  every  vessel  came  out  of  the  Mole.  The 
embarkation  occupied  five  days,  and  the  value  of 
the  public  stores  saved  amounted  to  i^200,ooo,  irre- 
spective of  private  property. 

Hoisting  his  broad  pennant  on  board  the  frigate 
MiJierve,  Nelson  proceeded  with  the  Blanche  to  Porto 
Ferrajo  to  take  command  of  the  naval  force  there. 
Off  Carthagena  he  fell  in  with  a  Spanish  frigate,  the 
Santa  Sabina.  This  was  on  the  19th  of  December,  at 
which  time  there  was  in  force  a  treaty  between  the 
Court  of  Madrid  and  the  French  Directory,  stipu- 
lating that  either  power  requiring  the  help  of  the 
other  should  be  assisted  to  the  extent  of  thirteen 
sail-of-the-line  and  ten  large  frigates  or  corvettes. 
The  treaty  had  been  ratified  at  Paris  on  the  12th 
of  September,  and  on  receiving  news  of  it  the  Brit- 
ish Government  had  seized  every  Spanish  ship  then 
in  an  English  port.  This  embargo  had  been  re- 
sponded to  by  a  declaration  of  war  by  Spain,  and 
such  was  the  posture  of  affairs  when  Nelson  fell  in 
with  the  Santa  Sabina.  He  hailed  the  Don,  as  he 
himself  wrote  in  his  private  journal,  told  him  his  was 
an  English  frigate,  and  demanded  his  surrender,  or 
he  would  fire  into  him.  The  Spanish  captain,  Don 
Jacobo  Stuart,  answered  :  "  This  is  a  Spanish  frigate, 
and  you  may  begin  as  soon  as  you  please  !  "  He 
proved  a  tough  morsel  even  for  Nelson.  The  ships 
were  of  the  same  force  to  a  gun,  and  the  number  of 


1794-96]    Fight  with  the  "  Santa  Sabina.''  65 

the  crews  nearly  alike.  Again  and  again  Nelson  hailed 
Don  Jacobo  to  haul  down  his  colours,  but  the  val- 
iant Spaniard's  answer  was  :  "  No,  sir,  not  whilst  I 
have  the  means  of  fighting  left."  He  surrendered 
only  when  all  his  officers  were  killed.  The  Santa 
Sabina  was  retaken,  and  Nelson  narrowly  escaped 
capture  through  pursuit  of  two  Spanish  ship  of  the 
line  and  two  frigates.  His  admiration  of  the  heroic 
conduct  of  Don  Jacobo  borrowed  something  of  its 
animation  from  the  discovery  that  his  prisoner  was 
descended  from  the  Duke  of  Berwick,  son  of  James 
n.  "  I  have  returned  him  his  sword,"  he  wrote  to 
his  father,  "  and  sent  him  in  a  flag  of  truce  to  Spain. 
I  felt  it  consonant  to  the  dignity  of  my  country, 
and  I  always  act  as  I  feel  right,  without  regard  to 
custom."  * 


*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  325. 
6 


:'?V 


jHRK3iiHa_'   ■      "^ 


afe..-^^(>^^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Arrival  at  Gibraltar — Chased  by  two  Spanish 
liners — Narrow  escape — In  the  thick  of  the 
Spanish  fleet — Anecdote  of  Jer\'is — Battle  of 
St.  Vincent — The  San  yosef  and  the  San 
Nicolas — Their  capture  by  Nelson — Nel- 
son's explanation  of  his  proceeding — The 
action  considered. 

'^  HE  Viceroy,  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot,  oc- 
cupied Porto  Ferrajo  in  Elba 
after  the  evacuation  of  Corsica.  To  this  fortress 
Nelson  escorted  Sir  Gilbert  and  troops  from  Bastia. 
On  the  27th  of  December  he  was  again  at  Porto 
Ferrajo.  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  was  in  Italy,  but 
returned  to  Elba  on  hearing  of  Nelson's  arrival 
at  the  island.  There  was  a  conference,  and  it  was 
decided  that  the  British  troops  should  remain  at 
Elba,  and,  shortly  after,  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  embarked 
with  Nelson  in  the  Minerve  to  consult  with  the 
British  Admiral,  Sir  John  Jervis,  then  cruising  with 
the  fleet  off  St.  Vincent. 

After  much  reconnoitring  and  many  peeps  at  a 
number  of  the  enemy's  harbours,  Nelson  headed  for 
Gibraltar,  at  which  place  he  arrived  on  the  9th  of 
February  in  company  with  the  Romulus.  Lieuten- 
ants Culverhousc  and  Hardy,  who  had  been  on 
board  the  Santa  Sabma  when  she  was  recaptured, 

66 


1797]      Escape  from  Two  Spanish  Liners,         67 

were  exchanged  and  received  by  Nelson,  who  on  the 
1 1 th  weighed.  Scarcely  were  the  frigate's  top-sails 
sheeted  home  when  two  Spanish  line-of-battle  ships, 
which  had  been  watching  Nelson's  movements,  were 
seen  to  be  getting  their  anchors  and  making  sail. 
The Minerve  entered  the  Strait,  the  Dons  in  hot  pur- 
suit. The  headmost  ship  of  the  chase  gained  on  the 
British  frigate,  which  cleared  for  action,  and  Sir 
Gilbert  Elliot  saw  all  ready  for  heaving  his  public 
papers  overboard.  Nelson,  who  was  walking  the 
deck  with  Colonel  Bethune  (or  Drinkwater  as  he 
was  then  called),  owned  that  he  thought  an 
engagement  possible,  "  but,"  he  exclaimed,  look- 
ing up  at  his  broad  pennant,  "  before  the  Dons  get 
hold  of  that  bit  of  bunting  I  will  have  a  struggle 
with  them,  and  sooner  than  give  up  the  frigate  I  '11 
run  her  ashore."  *  They  went  below  to  dinner  ;  on  a 
sudden  a  cry  of  "  Man  overboard  !  "  was  heard,  and 
there  was  instantly  a  rush  on  deck.  Lieutenant 
Hardy  and  a  body  of  sailors  sprang  into  the  jolly- 
boat.  The  strong  current  of  the  Strait  in  a  few 
minutes  carried  the  little  fabric  far  astern  of  the 
Minerve,  in  the  direction  of  the  chasing  Spaniard. 
Meanwhile  the  man  that  was  to  be  rescued  had  sunk 
and  Hardy  endeavoured  to  regain  the  frigate.  The 
boat's  crew,  however,  were  unable  to  make  headway. 
Suddenly  Nelson  exclaimed  :  "  By  G —  I  '11  not  lose 
Hardy!  Back  the  mizzen  top-sail."  It  now  seemed 
certain  that  an  action  must  take  place ;  but  to  the 
astonishment  of  all  hands  aboard  the  British  frigate, 

*  "  Narrative  of  the  Battle  of  St.  Vincent,"  by  Col.   Drinkwater 
Bethune,  1840,  p.  13. 


68  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.  38 

the  pursuing  Don  suddenly  shortened  sail  with 
every  manifestation  of  alarm  in  his  eager  manner  of 
clewing  up  and  letting  go.  It  was  plain  that  the 
commander  did  not  consider  a  Spanish  ship  of  the 
line  an  equal  match  for  an  English  frigate  with 
Nelson  on  board  her.  The  Minerve  picked  up  her 
jolly-boat  and  stood  on.  Studding-sails  were  piled 
upon  her  ;  the  helm  was  shifted  so  as  to  quarter  the 
wind,  her  best  point  of  sailing,  and  at  sunset  the  two 
huge  Spaniards  were  out  of  sight  astern. 

The  night  following  that  day  was  thick.  Colonel 
Bethune,  who  shared  a  cabin  with  Sir  Gilbert,  was 
lying  awake  in  his  cot  when  by  the  light  burning  in 
the  fore  cabin  he  observed  a  figure  standing  in  the 
doorway.  It  was  Nelson.  On  learning  that  Sir 
Gilbert  was  asleep  he  softly  stole  to  the  Colonel's 
side  and  whispered  that  he  believed  the  Minerve  was 
at  that  very  moment  in  the  midst  of  the  Spanish 
fleet.  He  was  sure,  by  the  signals  of  the  phantom 
craft  looming  large  in  the  thickness,  that  they  were 
not  Jervis's  ships.  All  next  day  a  bright  look-out 
was  kept,  but  no  more  ships  hove  into  view,  and 
Nelson,  firmly  persuaded  that  he  had  sailed  in  those 
hours  of  darkness  through  the  Spaniards'  grand  fleet, 
grew  exceedingly  anxious  to  join  Jervis,  whose 
cruising  rendezvous  was  now  close  at  hand.  Early 
next  day  the  British  frigate  Lively  was  spoken,  and  a 
little  later  on  ihc  Minerve  joined  the  Admiral's  fleet. 
Nelson  then  quitted  the  Minerve  and  resumed  the 
command  of  the  Captain. 

At  daybreak  on  the  14th  of  February  the  British 
fleet,  formed  in  two  divisions,  were  standing  on  a 


1797]  The  Spanish  Fleet.  69 

wind  heading  to  the  southward  and  westward.  The 
dawn  broke  thick  and  the  sea  lay  shrouded  to  a 
near  horizon,  but  at  about  a  quarter  past  eight 
o'clock  the  fog  lifted  and  disclosed  the  Spanish  fleet 
on  the  weather-bow,  a  noble  spectacle  of  huge  ships, 
one  of  them  a  four-decker,  the  largest  vessel  then 
afloat ;  their  milk-white  canvas  towering  in  spires, 
their  sides  grinning  with  battery  upon  battery,  and 
the  light  of  the  misty  sun  coming  ofT  in  wet  sparkles 
from  their  leviathan  sides  as  they  rolled.  An  eye- 
witness says :  "  They  made  the  most  awkward  at- 
tempt to  form  their  line-of-battle,  and  they  looked  a 
complete  forest  huddled  together."*  The  British 
Admiral  Jervis  made  the  signal  to  prepare  for  battle. 
As  he  walked  the  quarter-deck  the  hostile  numbers 
were  reported  to  him  as  they  appeared  by  signal. 
"  There  are  eight  sail-of-the-line,  Sir  John." — "  Very 
well,  sir." — "  There  are  twenty  sail-of-the-line,  Sir 
John." — "Very  well,  sir." — "There  are  twenty-five 
sail-of-the-line." — "  Very  well,  sir." — "  There  are 
twenty-seven  sail.  Sir  John,"  and  this  was  accom- 
panied by  some  remark  on  the  great  disparity  of  the 
forces.  "  Enough,  sir,  no  more  of  that ;  the  die  is 
cast ;  and  if  there  were  fifty  sail  I  would  go  through 
them."  Captain  Hallowell,  who  was  at  Jervis's  side 
when  he  thus  spoke,  was  so  delighted  by  this  de- 
termined answer  that,  gently  clapping  the  old 
Admiral  on  his  back,  he  cried  out:  "That  's  right. 
Sir  John,  that  's  right  ;  by  G —  we  shall  give  them 
a  d — d  good  licking."  f     At  close    upon   half-past 

*  Parsons.     P.  323. 

\  Edinburgh  Review,  1844,  p,  424. 


70  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  38 

eleven  o'clock  Jervis  hoisted  his  large  flag  and  en- 
sign, and,  announcing  his  intention  to  pass  through 
the  enemy's  line,  ran  aloft  the  signal  to  engage.  The 
action  was  soon  general.  The  Spaniards  were  unable 
to  unite  their  divided  ships,  and  those  to  leeward 
presently  put  about  and  went  stretching  away  in 
search  of  safety.  Jervis,  having  effected  his  first 
purpose,  signalled  for  the  British  fleet  to  tack  in 
succession.  It  was  then  seen  that  the  Spanish  Ad- 
miral's plan  was  to  join  his  leeward  ships  by  wearing 
round  under  the  sterns  of  the  rearward  of  the  British 
line.  Nelson's  genius  penetrated  the  Don's  inten- 
tion, and,  putting  the  Captain  s  helm  hard-a-weather, 
he  steered  a  course  for  the  enemy.  The  sixth  ship  from 
the  Spaniard's  rear  was  that  towering  four-decker,  the 
Santissima  Trinidad,  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six 
guns.  Nelson  got  alongside  of  her,  but  ahead  and 
astern  of  him  were  the  Don's  seconds  of  three  decks 
each.  Troubridge,  in  the  Culloden,  headed  with  all 
possible  speed  to  his  assistance,  and  was  presently 
followed  by  Frederick  in  the  Ble?iheim.  Nelson's 
instant,  intrepid  resolution  staggered  the  Spanish 
Admiral.  The  fire  of  the  British  was  overwhelming, 
and  such  was  its  effect  on  the  enemy's  ships  that  the 
little  crowd  of  onlookers  on  board  the  Lively,  even 
in  an  early  moment  of  the  conflict,  foresaw  a  glorious 
termination  to  the  battle. 

Nelson  is  the  one  conspicuous  figure  in  that  scene 
of  roaring  ordnance,  of  banks  of  powder  smoke  smit- 
ten by  the  red  flashes  of  murderously  plied  batteries, 
of  falling  spars,  of  the  shrieks  of  the  dying  and  the 
wounded,  and   the    stormy  huzzas  of   the    English 


1-    s 


1797]  Capture  of  the  "  San  yhsef."  71 

sailors  wrestling  half-naked  at  their  guns.  At  one 
moment  the  Captain  was  engaged  with  no  less 
than  nine  line-of-battle  ships.  A  little  later  on, 
she  was  hammering  at  the  Sail  Josef  and  the  San 
Nicolas.  The  latter  luffed,  the  San  Josef  fell 
aboard  her,  the  Captain  being  abreast  of  them  and 
close  alongside.  Her  foretopmast  was  gone,  her 
wheel  was  shot  away,  her  running-rigging  was  in 
pieces,  and  Nelson,  perceiving  that  she  was  no  longer 
manageable,  manoeuvred  so  as  to  foul  the  San  Nico- 
las. This  he  contrived.  His  sprit-sail  yard  hooked 
the  San  Nicolas' s  rigging.  There  were  a  number  of 
the  69th  regiment  on  board,  and  they  were  amongst 
the  first  who  sprang  into  the  Don — no  easy  task  to 
landsmen  encumbered  with  weapons,  with  the  long 
Atlantic  swell  besides  to  create  swift  abysms  be- 
tween the  roaring  and  flaming  fabrics  as  they  rolled. 
A  soldier  broke  a  window  in  the  Spaniard's  upper 
quarter-gallery,  jumped  in,  and  Nelson  and  others 
followed.  The  cabin  doors  were  secured  ;  the  Span- 
ish ofificers  on  the  quarter-deck  snapped  pistols  at 
their  boarders  through  the  windows ;  but  in  a  breath 
the  doors  were  burst  open,  the  soldiers  fired,  the 
Spanish  brigadier  (a  commodore)  fell,  and  Nelson, 
rushing  out,  found  Berry,  his  first  lieutenant,  in  pos- 
session of  the  poop  and  the  Spanish  ensign  hauling 
down.  Followed  by  his  men,  Nelson  ran  to  the 
forecastle  and  received  the  swords  of  two  or  three 
Spanish  of^cers;  but  a  moment  later  a  smart  fire  of 
pistols  or  muskets  was  opened  from  the  San  Josefs 
stern-gallery  that  towered  within  a  jump  of  the  San 
Nicolas.     Instantly  seeing  what  must  be  done,  the 


72  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.  38 

English  seamen  being  now  in  full  possession  of  every 
part  of  the  San  Nicolas,  Nelson  ordered  sentinels  to 
be  placed  at  different  ladders  to  guard  the  prisoners, 
and  calling  to  Captain  Miller  on  board  the  Captain 
to  send  more  men  into  the  San  Nicolas,  he  sprang 
into  the  main-chains  of  the  San  Josef,  followed  by  his 
brave  fellows.  As  he  did  so,  a  Spanish  officer  looked 
over  the  quarter-deck  rail  and  called  out  that  the  ship 
had  surrendered.  The  Captain  of  the  vessel,  drop- 
ping on  his  knee,  presented  his  sword,  and  said  that 
the  Admiral  was  dying  of  his  wounds  below.  Nelson 
asked  him  on  his  honour  if  the  ship  had  surrendered. 
He  declared  she  had.  "  On  which,"  says  Nelson  in 
the  account  of  the  action  he  sent  to  the  Duke  of 
Clarence,  "  I  gave  him  my  hand,  and  desired  him  to 
call  to  his  officers  and  ship's  company  and  tell  them 
of  it — which  he  did ;  and  on  the  quarter-deck  of  a 
Spanish  first-rate,  extravagant  as  the  story  may 
seem,  did  I  receive  the  swords  of  vanquished  Span- 
iards ;  which,  as  I  received,  I  gave  to  William  Fear- 
ney,  one  of  my  bargemen,  who  put  them  with  the 
greatest  sa^ig-froid  under  his  arm."  "  The  Victory 
and  every  Ship  of  the  Fleet,  passing  the  glorious 
group,  gave  me  three  cheers,"  he  wrote  to  William 
Suckling.  He  received  a  blow  in  the  side  or  stomach, 
but  spoke  of  the  hurt  at  the  moment  as  nothing.* 
Collingwood  in  the  Excellent  fought  magnificently, 

*  When  news  of  this  victory  came  to  Mrs.  Nelson  she  wrote  with 
wifely  anxiety  :  "  What  can  I  attempt  to  say  to  you  about  Boarding? 
You  have  been  most  wonderfully  protected  :  you  have  done  desperate 
actions  enough.  Now  may  I — indeed  I  do — beg  that  you  will  never 
Board  again.  Leave  it  for  Captains." — "Dispatches  and  Letters," 
vol.  ii.,  p.  359. 


1797]        Explanation  of  his  Proceedings.  73 

and  provided  Nelson  with  the  chance  which  his 
genius  and  courage  rendered  glorious.  "  My  good 
friend  the  Commodore,"  Collingwood  wrote  to  his 
wife,  "  had  been  long  engaged  with  those  ships, 
and  I  came  happily  to  his  relief  before  he  was  dread- 
fully mauled."  *  Colonel  Bethune,  after  the  action, 
had  a  chat  with  Nelson,  and  asked  :  "  How  came 
you  to  get  into  that  singular  and  perilous  situation  ?  " 
"  I  '11  tell  you  how  it  happened,"  he  answered.  "  The 
Admiral's  intention  I  saw  was  to  cut  off  the  de- 
tached squadron  of  light  sail,  and  afterwards  attack 
the  main  body,  weakened  by  the  separation.  Ob- 
serving, however,  as  our  squadron  advanced  and 
became  engaged  with  the  enemy's  ships,  that  the 
main  body  of  the  enemy  were  pushing  to  join  their 
friends  to  leeward,  by  passing  in  the  rear  of  our 
squadron,  I  thought,  unless  by  some  prompt  and 
extraordinary  measure,  the  main  body  could  be  di- 
verted from  this  course  until  Sir  John  (at  that  time 
in  action  in  the  Victory)  could  see  their  plan,  his 
well-arranged  designs  on  the  enemy  would  be  frus- 
trated." His  resolution  was  immediately  formed, 
with  what  success  we  have  seen. 

He  was  not,  however,  even  named  by  Jervis  in  his 
dispatch.  Sir  John  Barrow  declares  that  the  Ad- 
miral was  prevailed  on  by  Sir  Robert  Calder,  the 
Captain  of  the  Fleet,  to  omit  Nelson's  name,  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  disobeyed  the  signal  of  recall. 
"  The  surprise  is,"  says  Barrow,  "  that  a  man  of 
Lord  St.  Vincent's  sagacity  should  not  have  de- 
tected the  lurking  jealousy  that  gave  rise  to  such 

*  "  Collingwood's  Correspondence,"  p.  36. 


74  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  38 

k  recommendation."  *  Nelson,  however,  does  not 
appear  to  have  heard  of  this  signal  of  recall.  Writ- 
ing to  his  father,  April  6,  1797,  he  says:  "An 
anecdote  in  the  action  is  honorable  to  the  Admiral 
and  to  Troubridge  and  myself.  Calder  said :  *  Sir, 
the  Captain  and  Ctillodcn  are  separated  from  the 
Fleet,  and  unsupported  ;  shall  we  recall  them  ?  '  'I 
will  not  have  them  recalled.  I  put  my  faith  in  those 
ships  ;  it  is  a  disgrace  that  they  are  separated  and 
unsupported.' " 

The  figure  that  Nelson  made  in  this  conflict  was 
extraordinarily  great  ;  but  it  is  impossible  not  to 
agree  with  the  exact,  acid,  and  grudging  James,  who 
afifirms  that  a  deal  more  was  made  of  the  battle  of 
St.  Vincent  than  the  victory  merited.  The  Span- 
ish crews  and  officers  were,  beyond  expression,  con- 
temptible. There  was  no  organization  amongst 
them,  no  perception  of  the  significance  of  signals, 
and  there  was  scarcely  a  ship  that  would  not  have  run 
if  she  could.  When  the  San  Josef  wtxs  captured  sev- 
eral tompions  were  found  still  fixed  in  the  guns  on 
the  side  that  had  been  engaged  !  It  is  believed  that 
the  pieces  were  never  loaded.  It  is  quite  certain,  at 
all  events,  that  the  officers  could  not  get  their  men 
to  fire  them.  The  panic-stricken  wretches  who 
manned  the  Spanish  fleet  refused  to  go  aloft  to 
repair  the  rigging.  The  officers  shot  some  of  them 
as  an  example,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  the  sailors,  cross- 
ing themselves  and  falling  upon  their  knees,  piteously 
entreated,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  not  to  be  forced  up 
the  rigging.     Over  such  opponents  it  would  be  ab- 

♦  "  Life  of  Howe,"  p.  249. 


1797] 


The  Action  Considered  at  Ho7ne. 


/D 


surd  to  call  the  most  decisive  victory  "  glorious." 
The  relief  of  men's  minds  at  home  made  the 
battle  greatly  talked  of,  and  furnished  it  with  a 
splendour  it  certainly  did  not  possess.  The  union 
of  the  French  and  Spanish  fleets  had  been  despair- 
ingly regarded  as  an  accomplished  fact,  and  before 
nev/s  of  the  victory  reached  London,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  March,  it  had  been  decided  at  a  Privy 
Council  meeting  that  the  Bank  of  England  should 
suspend  cash  payment  until  the  sense  of  Parliament 
had  been  taken  as  to  the  "  public  and  commercial 
credit  of  the  kingdom  at  this  important  conjuncture."* 


*  Animal  Register,  1797. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Rewards — Nelson's  popiilaritj 
amongst  sailors — Cause  of  it 
— Hand-to-hand  fight  off  Ca- 
diz— Project  against  Tene- 
riffe — A  disastrous  blunder 
— Loss  of  his  arm — Courage 
under  suffering — Anecdotes 
of  the  surgical  operation — 
Troubridge  at  Santa    Cruz — Nelson   sails 
for   England — Lady    Nelson  —  Anecdotes 
belonging  to  this  time — Character  of  his  wife 
—  Memorializes   the    King  —  St.     Vincent's 
letter  to  Lady  Hamilton — Nelson  proceeds  to 
the  Mediterranean — A  heavy  gale  of  wind — 
Public  opinion  on  St.  Vincent's  choice. 

OR  his  services,  on  what  he  himself 
calls  "the  most  glorious  Valen- 
tine's day,"  Nelson  received  the 
Knighthood  and  Order  of  the 
Bath,  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of -Rear-Admiral 
of  the  Blue.  Bethune  says  :  "  The  King  would  have 
created  the  hero  a  baronet,  but  when  it  was  suggested 
to  Nelson  that  this  honour  would  in  all  probability  be 
conferred,  he  exclaimed,  earnestly:  '  No,  no,  if  they 
want  to  mark  my  services,  it  must  not  be  in  that 
manner'";  whence  Bethune  inferred  that  he  desired 
to  bear  about  his  person  some  honorary  distinction  to 
attract  the  public  eye.  *  The  sword  of  the  Spanish 
*  Bethune.     P.  38. 


1797-98]        Popularity  amongst  Sailors.  "jy 

Admiral,  received  by  him  on  board  the  San  Josef, 
Jervis,  after  taking  him  in  his  arms  and  thanking  him 
for  what  he  had  done,  insisted  on  his  keeping.  This 
sword  Nelson  presented  to  the  city  of  Norwich. 

Before  he  was  acquainted  with  his  promotion,  he 
hoisted  his  pennant  on  board  the  Irresistible,  the 
Captain  having  been  rendered  almost  useless  during 
the  conflict.  In  this  ship  he  went  with  the  squadron 
to  cruise  off  Cadiz,  to  keep  an  eye  upon  the  Spanish 
fleet,  and  intercept  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico,  one  of 
whose  vessels  was  a  galleon  full  of  dollars.  He 
afterwards  went  aboard  the  Theseus,  and  in  that  ship 
watched  every  movement  of  the  enemy  ;  for,  if  the 
fleets  combined,  it  was  believed  they  would  amount 
to  forty  sail-of-the-line. 

The  affection  of  his  people  for  him  was  about  this 
time  illustrated  by  a  paper,  dropped  on  the  quarter- 
deck, on  which  was  written  :  "  Success  attend  Ad- 
miral Nelson  !  God  bless  Captain  Miller !  We 
thank  them  for  the  officers  they  have  placed  over 
us.  We  are  happy  and  comfortable,  and  will  shed 
every  drop  of  blood  in  our  veins  to  support  them, 
and  the  name  of  the  Theseus  shall  be  immortalized 
as  high  as  the  Captain  s. — Ship's  COMPANY."  The 
main  significance  of  this  testimony  must  be  sought 
in  the  mutinous  spirit  that  was  then  active  in  the 
British  Navy.  Never  was  there  a  commander  who 
exhibited  a  tenderer  and  wiser  interest  in  the  seamen 
under  him  than  Nelson.  He  knew  what  the  fore- 
castle life  was,  recalled  his  own  experiences,  and 
was  influenced  by  them.  He  abhorred  punishment. 
He  had  always  a  kindly  word  for  his  Jacks.     He 


78  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t/Et.  38 

licensed  handsomely  when  no  point  of  discipline 
was  involved.  Some  of  his  crew  had  become  Metho- 
dists, and,  offended  with  the  oaths  and  conversation 
of  their  shipmates,  desired  a  separate  mess.  Nelson 
instantly  consented.*  When  he  quitted  the  Fou- 
droyant  (June,  1800),  the  crew  of  his  barge  sent  him 
a  touching  letter,  expressing  their  deep  grief  at  his 
leaving  them.  They  entreated  permission  to  accom- 
pany him,  go  where  he  might,  and  be  his  ship  what 
she  would.  "  Pardon  the  rude  style  of  seamen,"  the 
poor  fellows  wrote. f  He  was  entirely  with  the  mu- 
tineers of  the  Fleet  in  their  first  complaint.  "  We 
are  a  neglected  set,"  he  wrote,  "  and  when  peace 
comes  are  shamefully  treated."  The  health  of  his 
seamen  was  always  the  first  essential  consideration 
with  him.  In  1803  he  was  writing  that  the  squadron 
had  been  "  within  ten  days  of  five  months  at  sea,  and 
we  have  not  a  man  confined  to  his  bed."  He  was 
the  nation's  pride  indeed,  but  pre-eminently  was  he 
the  sailors'  darling. 

The  night  of  the  3d  of  July,  1797,  witnessed  the 
bombardment  of  Cadiz.  Nelson  was  in  his  barge 
with,  what  he  terms,  "  a  common  crew  of  ten  men," 
besides  the  coxswain.  Captain  Fremantlc,  and  him- 
self, when  he  was  boarded  by  the  commander  of  the 
Spanish  gunboats  in  a  barge  that  rowed  twenty-six 
oars,  and  numbered  in  all  thirty  of  a  crew.  The 
hand-to-hand  fight  that  followed  is  assuredly  the 
most  memorable  of  the  thrilling  incidents  of  Nelson's 
career.  The  Spanish  commander  was  taken,  eighteen 

*  Blackwood's  Magazine,  1848,  p.  598. 

f  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  iv. ,  p.  262. 


<    s 


uTinnmnw^m], 


1797-98]        The  Bombardiiicnt  of  Cadiz.  79 

of  his  men  killed,  and  a  number  wounded.  Nelson's 
coxswain,  John  Sykes,  twice  saved  the  Hero's  life. 
Already  Nelson  had  exhausted  in  his  friend 
John  Jervis  the  language  of  eulogy.  All  that  St. 
Vinceuc  could  say  of  him  in  reference  to  this  hand- 
to-hand  fight  was  "  that  his  actions  speak  for  them- 
selves ;  any  praise  of  mine  would  fall  very  short  of 
his  merit."  One  follows  with  pain  the  narrative 
of  this  bombardment.  The  Spaniards,  yielding  to 
French  influence,  were  nevertheless  our  friends  at 
heart.  There  might  have  been  fear,  but  there  was 
certainly  friendship  in  the  reluctance  with  which 
they  fought  us.  The  bombardment  barbarously  in- 
jured the  beautiful  town  ;  it  was  on  fire  in  three 
places,  and  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants  were  plun- 
dered by  the  villains  among  them — "  a  glorious  scene 
of  confusion,"  Nelson  calls  it.  A  shell  struck  a  con- 
vent and  killed  several  priests — "  that  's  no  harm," 
he  says  drily,  "  they  will  never  be  missed." 

The  next  step  was  a  disastrous  blunder.  There 
was  scarcely  ever  executed  a  more  ill-advised  adven- 
ture than  the  Teneriffe  expedition.  News  had  come 
that  the  rich  Manila  ship,  which  Nelson  was  on  the 
look-out  for,  had  arrived  at  Santa  Cruz.  His  head 
was  full  of  a  plan  that  could  not  fail  of  success,  that 
was  to  immortalise  the  undertakers,  that  was  to  ruin 
Spain,  and  raise  Great  Britain  to  a  higher  pitch  of 
wealth  than  she  had  ever  yet  attained.  In  a  word, 
Santa  Cruz  was  to  be  captured,  good  terms  with 
the  town  made,  and  nothing  but  the  delivery  of 
public  stores  and  foreign  merchandise  demanded. 
The  value  of  the  galleon  is  not  stated  ;  Nelson  talked 


8o  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7i.         t^t.  38 

of  six  or  seven  millions  sterling.  "  If  this  sum  were 
thrown  into  circulation  in  England,  what  might  not 
be  done  ?  "  he  says  in  his  letter  to  Lord  St.  Vincent. 
On  July  15th  he  sailed  for  Teneriffe.  The  squad- 
ron appointed  consisted  of  the  Thcseics,  Cjilloden, 
and  Zealous,  each  of  seventy-four  guns  ;  the  Leander, 
Seahorse,  Emerald,  and  Terpsichore,  from  fifty  to 
thirty-two  guns  ;  and  the  little  Fox  cutter  of  twelve 
guns.  The  ships  were  discovered  before  the  men 
could  be  landed.  Even  the  daring  genius  of  a  Nel- 
son might  have  been  mockingly  set  at  defiance  by 
the  inaccessible  heights  and  the  numerous  and 
powerful  fortifications  of  the  place.  But  the  Span- 
iards must  be  made  to  understand  that  when  the  Bri- 
ton strikes,  he  commonly  strikes  home  ;  and  Nelson, 
with  but  little  hope  in  the  issue,  determined  upon  a 
night  attack  on  the  garrison  of  Santa  Cruz  itself.  At 
8  P.  M.,  July  24th,  he  wrote  to  St.  Vincent — the  last 
letter  he  ever  penned  with  his  right  hand.  He  tells 
him  that  by  to-morrow  his  head  will  be  crowned 
with  either  laurel  or  cypress,  and  commends  his 
step-son,  Josiah  Nisbet,  to  him  and  to  his  country. 
Before  starting  to  row  ashore,  he  entered  his  cabin 
and  called  to  Nisbet,  then  a  lieutenant  in  the  Theseus, 
to  help  him  to  arrange  and  burn  Mrs.  Nelson's  letters. 
He  observed  that  the  young  man  was  armed  and 
begged  him  to  remain  in  the  ship,  saying:  "Should 
we  both  fall,  Josiah,  what  would  become  of  your 
poor  mother?  The  care  of  the  Theseus  falls  to  you  ; 
stay,  therefore,  and  take  charge  of  her."  "  The  ship 
must  take  care  of  herself,"  answered  young  Nisbet; 
"  I  will  go  with  you  to-night,  if  I  never  go  again." 


WS^Sm-m^.:^ 


fc**- 


1797-98]  Shot  through  the  Arm.  8 1 

A  thousand  seamen  and  marines  were  to  be  thrown 
ashore  under  cover  of  the  darkness.  All  the  boats 
of  the  squadron  were  lowered,  and  filled  with  men 
and  artillery.  The  Fox  cutter,  in  command  of  the 
gallant  Lieutenant  Gibson,  was  crowded  with  about 
a  hundred  men.  The  force  was  formed  into  six 
divisions,  having  the  Fox  cuttei'  in  tow,  the  whole 
preceded  by  Nelson  in  his  gig  accompanied  by  three 
or  four  other  boats.  It  was  a  very  dark  night  ;  the 
wind  too,  much  about  this  hour,  breezed  up  into  a 
fresh  gale,  and  the  high  Atlantic  sea  washed  in 
thunder  to  the  base  of  the  iron-bound  rock  of 
Teneriffe.  Warily  as  the  expedition  advanced,  the 
headmost  boats  were  discovered  by  the  sentinels. 
In  an  instant  the  strong  wind  was  clamorous  with 
the  ringing  of  bells  ;  the  dark  scene  of  shore  flashed 
out  into  lights  ;  the  confused  shouts  of  men  could  be 
heard  with  the  rattling  of  carriages  followed  by  the 
blaze  and  roar  of  upwards  of  thirty  pieces  of  can- 
non.* The  Fox  cutter  was  struck  by  a  shot  and 
foundered  out  of  hand,  drowning  many  of  her 
people.  Most  of  the  boats  missed  the  pier.  As 
Nelson  stepped  ashore,  his  boat  being  one  of  the 
very  few  which  had  struck  the  surfless  side  of  the 
Mole,  he  was  in  the  act  of  drawing  his  sword  when 
his  right  elbow  was  hit  by  a  grape-shot.  "  I  am 
shot  through  the  arm,  I  am  a  dead  man  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed. Young  Nisbet  was  by  his  side  ;  he  caught 
him  as  he  was  falling,  and  laying  him  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat,  took  a  silk  handkerchief  from 
his  neck  and  bound  it  tightly  above  the  lacerated 

*  Blackwood' s  Magazine,  1852,  p.  508. 


82  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  38 

vessels,  whilst  one  of  Nelson's  bargemen,  a  man 
named  Lovel,  tore  his  own  shirt  into  shreds  to  form 
a  sling  for  the  wounded  arm.  Nisbet  would  have 
rowed  him  aboard  the  Seahorse,  but  Nelson  insisted 
upon  being  carried  to  his  own  ship,  lest  Mrs.  Fre- 
mantle,  whose  husband  was  Captain  of  the  Seahorse 
should  be  terrified  by  the  sight  of  his  wound  and  his 
inability  to  give  her  any  tidings  of  Captain  Freman- 
tle.  On  the  boat  getting  alongside  the  Theseus  he 
peremptorily  declined  to  be  helped  on  board.  "  Let 
me  alone,"  he  cried,  "  I  have  yet  my  legs  left 
and  one  arm.  Tell  the  surgeon  to  make  haste  and 
get  his  instruments.  I  know  I  must  lose  my  right 
arm  ;  so  the  sooner  it  's  off  the  better."  Young 
Hoste,  who  was  at  the  gangway  of  the  Theseus,  in  de- 
scribing the  attack  on  Santa  Cruz  in  a  letter  to  his 
father,  speaks  of  Nelson  with  his  right  arm  dangling 
by  his  side,  astonishing  everyone  with  the  spirit  with 
which  he  helped  himself  to  scale  the  labouring 
vessel.  It  is  indeed  an  instance  of  human  endurance 
and  resolution  scarcely  credible.  One  stands  amazed 
at  that  picture  of  a  sickly  and  delicate  human  form 
filled  with  the  anguish  of  a  dreadful  wound,  with  the 
deep  mental  distress  moreover  begotten  of  the  con- 
viction that  his  right  arm  was  gone  from  him  for- 
ever, spiritedly  swinging  by  his  remaining  limb 
against  the  heeling  side  of  the  tall  fabric,  and 
clearing  the  bulwark  only  to  demand  the  instant 
services  of  the  surgeon  with  such  coolness  as  his 
noble  and  beautiful  nature  would  have  been  incapa- 
ble of  in  asking  a  like  operation  for  the  very  hum- 
blest boy  of  his  squadron. 


1797-981  Loses  his  Arm.  83 

When  his  arm  was  cut  off  the  surgeon  asked  if  he 
wished  it  embalmed  that  he  might  send  it  to  England 
to  be  buried ;  he  answered  :  "  Throw  it  into  the 
hammock  with  the  brave  fellow  that  was  killed 
beside  me,"  referring  to  the  body  of  a  seaman  that 
was  about  to  be  dropped  overboard.  *  The  operation 
was  clumsily  performed.  Magrath  who  was  Nelson's 
surgeon  in  the  Victory  (1803-4)  attributed  much  of 
his  irritability  and  derangement  in  other  ways  to  this 
clumsy  amputation.  "  Of  all  the  sufferings  of  the 
operation,"  he  told  Sir  N.  Harris  Nicolas,  "  and 
its  subsequent  facts  so  strongly  pressed  upon  his 
(Nelson's)  mind,  he  complained  most  of  '  the  cold- 
ness of  the  knife '  in  making  the  first  circular  cut 
through  the  integuments  and  muscles.  So  painfully 
and  deeply  was  the  recollection  ingrafted  upon 
his  feelings  that  I  had  general  instructions  in  conse- 
quence, whenever  there  was  a  prospect  of  coming  to 
action,  to  have  a  hanging-stove  kept  in  the  galley  for 
the  purpose  of  heating  water  in  which  to  immerse  the 
knife  in  the  event  of  his  being  the  subject  of  opera- 
tion, and  on  which  he  always  calculated."  f 

The   Santa    Cruz  attack  was    a  complete  failure. 

*  "  Autobiography  of  Miss  Cornelia  Knight,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  286. 

■j-  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  444.  Colonel  Bethune 
relates  the  following  anecdote  referring  to  the  loss  of  Nelson's  arm. 
Just  before  the  victory  of  Camperdown,  Bethune  called  upon  Nelson, 
who  asked  him  if  there  was  news  of  Duncan's  fleet.  Then  starting  up 
in  his  peculiar  energetic  manner,  notwithstanding  Lady  Nelson's 
attempts  to  quiet  him,  and  stretching  out  his  unwounded  arm  he  ex- 
claimed :  "I  would  give  this  other  arm  to  be  with  Duncan  at  this 
moment."  Bethune.  P.  97.  This  gentleman  afterwards  took  the 
name  of  Bethune  :  by  all  Nelson's  biographers  he  is  called  Drink- 
water. 


84  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7t.         t^t.  39 

Troubridge,  who  commanded  the  Ciilloden,  on  land- 
ing, collected  his  forces  in  a  convent,  and  though 
without  ammunition,  demanded  the  surrender  of  the 
citadel.  In  the  presence  of  a  number  of  priests  he 
set  his  people  to  make  torches,  fire-balls,  and  the  like, 
to  burn  down  the  town  with.  The  priests  rushed  to 
the  Governor  and  begged  him  to  offer  terms  to  the 
"  mad  Englishman."  The  Governor  was  a  person  of 
good  sense  and  kindness  of  heart,  and  his  proposals 
ended  in  the  British  party  marching  with  colours 
flying  to  the  Mole,  where  they  embarked  in  boats  for 
the  ships,  every  man  receiving  from  the  Spaniards  a 
loaf  and  a  pint  of  wine  before  starting. 

Nelson  in  a  fit  of  depression  wrote  on  the  27th  to 
Sir  John  Jervis  that  he  was  become  a  burthen  to  his 
friends  and  useless  to  his  country,  and  that  his  one 
anxiety  now  was  to  see  his  step-son  promoted. 
"When  I  leave  }'our  command,"  he  wrote,  "I  be- 
come dead  to  the  world  ;  I  go  hence  and  am  no  more 
seen."  He  asked  the  Admiral  for  a  frigate  to  convey 
"  the  remains  of  my  carcass  to  England,"  and  on  the 
20th  of  August,  1797,  hoisted  his  flag  aboard  the 
Seahorse,  and  proceeded  home.  On  arriving  at 
Spithead  (September  ist)  he  struck  his  flag  and 
journeyed  to  Bath  where  Lady  Nelson  and  his 
father  were.  His  arm  had  dreadfully  tormented  him 
during  the  passage.  He  had  written  to  his  wife 
with  his  left  hand  to  announce  his  intention  to 
return  home,  and  his  letter  had  not  long  preceded  his 
landing.  Lady  Nelson  had  not  heard  of  his  desper- 
ate wound ;  rumours  only  of  the  Teneriffe  afTair  had 
reached  her;  she  was  puzzled  by  the  handwriting  in 


1797-98]  Nursed  by  Lady  Nelson.  85 

which  her  husband  had  addressed  her,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  she  would  allow  herself  to  be  per- 
suaded that  the  letter  was  written  by  him.  There  is 
pathos  and  pain  in  the  narrative  of  this  lady's 
devotion  to  her  husband  at  this  and  at  other  times, 
read  by  the  light  of  what  happened  a  few  years  later 
on.  Lady  Nelson  at  her  husband's  own  earnest 
request  attended  to  the  dressing  of  his  arm  until 
she  had  acquired  skill  and  resolution  to  deal  with  it 
herself,  after  which  she  continually  nursed  him.  His 
anguish  was  unintermittently  keen,  owing  to  the 
ligature  which  had  been  affixed  to  the  humeral 
artery  involving  a  branch  of  nerve.  It  was  in  con- 
templation to  cut  down  upon  this  ligature,  but  on  a 
sudden  it  separated  of  itself  and  he  was  instantly 
relieved.  His  pious  gratitude  took  the  form  of  a 
thanksgiving,  recited,  as  delivered  by  himself,  by  the 
clergyman  officiating  at  St.  George's,  Hanover 
Square  :  "  An  officer  desires  to  return  thanks  to 
Almighty  God  for  his  perfect  recovery  from  a  severe 
wound,  and  also  for  the  many  mercies  bestowed  on 
him."  This  was  dated  December  8,  1797,  "  for  next 
Sunday," 

It  is  told  that  during  the  previous  October,  whilst 
he  lay  in  suffering  at  his  lodgings  in  Bond  Street,  he 
took  some  laudanum  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  rest. 
The  news  of  Admiral  Duncan's  victory  at  that  time 
reached  London,  and  the  streets  were  crowded  with 
huzzaing  mobs.  The  house  in  which  Nelson  lodged 
had  not  been  illuminated,  A  crowd  assembled  to 
inquire  the  cause  of  the  darkness  and  silence  at  such 
a  time  of  rejoicing,  and  every  window  would  have 


86  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.  L^t.  39 


been  promptly  smashed  ;  but  on  the  servant  of  the 
lodgings  informing  them  that  Sir  Horatio  Nelson 
lay  within  badly  wounded  and  endeavouring  to 
sleep,  a  leader  of  the  mob  cried  out  :  "  You  will 
hear  no  more  from  us  to-night,"  and  the  whole 
rabble    moved   off. 

Southey    preserves    an    anecdote  of   Nelson  that 
belongs  to  this  period.     Considering  he  was  entitled 
to  smart  money  for  the   loss  of   his   eye,  he  went 
to  receive  a   year's  pay,  but   could  not  obtain  the 
money  because  he  had  neglected  to  procure  a  cer- 
tificate from  a  surgeon  that  the  sight  was  actually 
destroyed.     Though  the  loss  of  vision  might  not  be 
apparent,  it  was    at  all  events  as   a  fact   notorious 
enough,  and  Nelson  was  not  a  little  irritated  that 
this  form  should  be  insisted  upon.     However,  he  got 
his  certificate  for  his  eye,  and  took  care  that  the  loss 
of   his  arm    should    be    mentioned,    since    the    one 
injury  was  as  likely  to  be  doubted    as  the    other! 
The  idea  put  him  in  a  good  temper  with   himself 
and  with  the  offending  clerk.     On  his  return  to  the 
ofifice  the  clerk,  finding  it  was  only  the  annual  pay  of 
a  captain,  said  that  he  thought  it  had  been  more. 
"  Oh,"  exclaimed   Nelson,  "  this  is  only  for  an  eye. 
In  a  few  days  I  shall  come  for  an  arm  ;  and  in  a  little 
time  longer,  God  knows,  most  probably  for  a  leg." 
Soon  afterward  he  applied  on  account  of  the  arm, 
and,  says  Southey,  with  perfect  good-humour  exhib- 
ited his  certificate  of  the  loss  of  it. 

Whilst  Nelson  was  at  this  time  in  England  he 
realised  his  quarter-deck  dream  by  purchasing  a 
cottage  and  a  few  acres  of  ground    called    Round- 


1797-98]  Lady  Nelsons  Life.  87 

Wood,  near  Ipswich.  It  does  not  appear,  how- 
ever, that  he  ever  himself  occupied  it.  When  he 
was  in  search  of  the  French  fleet,  Lady  Nelson 
wrote  to  him  :  "  On  Sunday,  the  20th  of  May, 
we  arrived  at  Round-Wood.  The  satisfaction  I 
felt  was  very  great  on  being  under  your  own 
roof.  No  thanks  to  any  earthly  being."  *  The 
"  love-in-a-cottage "  fancy  was  to  prove  but  the 
idlest  of  dreams  after  all.  It  has  been  represented 
that  Lady  Nelson  was  inattentive  to  his  personal 
comforts,  that  she  alienated  him  by  lack  of  that  sort 
of  homely  sympathy  which  makes  good  husbands  of 
men  of  even  lukewarm  natures.  It  is  true  that  we 
read  of  Nelson  complaining  in  his  letters  to  his  dear 
Fanny,  that  he  finds  but  one  pair  of  raw-silk  stock- 
ings in  his  trunk  ;  that  "  I  have  not  got,  I  assure  you," 
(this  to  Lady  Hamilton)  "  scarcely  a  comfort  about 
me  except  the  two  chairs  which  you  ordered  of  Mr. 
Foxhall  ;  I  have  wrote  her  (Lady  N.)  a  letter  of 
truths  about  my  outfit  "  :  and  so  on,  and  so  on.  But 
to  this  inattention  there  was  surely  the  noble  set- 
off of  a  most  devoted  and  single-hearted  spell  of 
nursing,  during  the  long  days  of  torment  he  endured 
from  the  stump  of  his  arm,  and  through  tedious 
hours  rendered  wretched  to  her  by  his  irritability  and 
.  the  constant  spectacle  of  his  anguish. 

Her  life  was  one  almost  of  widowhood  after  he  had 
sailed  in  the  Agamevinon ;  yet  her  pure  heart  was 
always  with  him,  loving,  passionately  solicitous,  pro- 
foundly admiring.  His  father  was  "  our  father"  to 
her  ;  she  lived  with  the  old  man,  she  cherished  him, 

*  "  Dispatches  and  I-etters,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  12. 


The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  39 


and  he  loved  her.  The  marriage  had  been  one  of 
affection,  and  their  loyalty  to  each  other,  their  faith, 
their  high  belief  in  each  other,  is  unquestionable 
down  to  the  year  of  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  But 
how  effectually  Nelson's  love  was  afterwards  sun- 
dered, we  may  gather  by  these  sentences  from 
a  letter  to  Lady  Hamilton,  dated  September  17, 
1805 — words  Avhich  one  transcribes  with  a  grief,  and 
with  a  sense  of  shame,  which  must  be  proportioned 
to  one's  love  for,  and  pride  in,  the  character  and  the 
greatness  of  the  immortal  Hero  :  "  I  entreat,  my 
dear  Emma,  that  you  will  cheer  up  ;  and  we  will 
look  forward  to  many,  many  happy  years,  and  be  sur- 
rounded by  our  children's  children.  God  Almighty 
can,  when  he  pleases,  remove  the  impediment."  * 

But  to  return.  In  October,  1797,  it  was  proposed 
to  settle  a  pension  of  a  thousand  a  year  upon  Nelson 
for  his  services.  The  demon  of  red  tape  demanded 
the  usual  Memorial,  in  which  Nelson  stated  that 
during  the  war  he  had  fought  in  four  actions  with 
the  enemy's  fleets,  in  three  actions  with  frigates,  in 
six  engagements  against  batteries,  in  ten  actions  in 
boats.  He  enumerated  his  services  at  Bastia  and 
Calvi,  t-hc  number  of  the  captures  he  had  assisted  in, 
and  how  he  had  lost  his  right  eye  and  his  right  arm, 
not  to  mention  minor  injuries  during  the  one  Jiundred 
and  twenty  times  he  had  fought  against  the  enemy. 
In  September  he  attended  at  St.  James's  Palace, 
and  was  invested  with  the  insignia  of  Knight  Com- 
panion of  the  Bath.  The  freedom  of  the  City  of 
London  was  conferred  upon  him  in  December,  and 

*  Lady  Nelson  died,  aged  sixty-eight,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1831. 


1797-981    Despatched  to  the  Mediterranean.  89 

with  it  a  gold  box  worth  one  hundred  guineas.  By 
this  time  his  health  was  sufficiently  good  to  enable 
him  to  go  to  sea  again,  and  on  the  19th  of  Decem- 
ber he  was  appointed  to  the  Vanguard,  of  seventy- 
four  guns,  in  which  ship  he  sailed  on  the  ist  of 
April,  1798,  from  Portsmouth,  arriving  on  the  23d 
with  a  convoy  at  Lisbon,  whence  a  week  later  he 
weighed  to  join  Lord  St.  Vincent  and  the  fleet  off 
Cadiz. 

Nothing  of  special  moment  happened  till  near  the 
close  of  the  following  month,  when,  on  the  22d, 
Lord  St.  Vincent  wrote  a  letter  to  Lady  Hamilton, 
couched  in  terms  which  suggest  but  little  of  the  salt 
beef  and  nor'-westers  of  the  Service.  "  I  am  bound," 
says  he,  "  by  my  oath  of  chivalry  to  protect  all  who 
are  persecuted  and  distressed,  and  I  would  fly  to  the 
succour  of  their  Sicilian  Majesties  was  I  not  posi- 
tively forbid  to  quit  my  post  before  Cadiz.  I  am 
happy,  however,  to  have  a  knight  of  superior  prow- 
ess in  my  train,  who  is  charged  with  this  enterprise 
at  the  head  of  as  gallant  a  band  as  ever  drew  sword 
or  trailed  pike."  This  knight  was  Nelson.  The  day 
prior  to  the  date  of  St.  Vincent's  letter  to  Lady 
Hamilton,  Nelson  had  received  his  instructions  from 
the  Commander-in-chief.  An  armament  had  been 
preparing  by  the  enemy  at  Toulon  and  Genoa,  the 
object  of  which,  it  was  assumed,  was  either  an  attack 
upon  Naples  or  Sicily,  the  conveyance  of  an  army  to 
some  part  of  the  coast  of  Spain  or  Portugal,  or  the 
invasion  of  Ireland.  Nelson  was  to  seek  this  arma- 
ment, and  on  falling  in  with  it  to  use  his  utmost 
endeavours  to  take,  sink,  burn,  and  destroy  it.     With 


90  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  39 

respect  to  supplies,  he  was  to  extract  whatever  he 
required  from  the  territories  of  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Tuscany,  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  the  Ottoman 
territory,  Malta,  and  the  ci-devant  Venetian  do- 
minions. All  this  is  explicit  enough,  and  effectually 
disposes  of  Lady  Hamilton's  claim  to  having  helped 
Nelson  to  win  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  by  enabling 
him,  by  a  strategy  of  her  own,  to  obtain  supplies  at 
Syracuse  in  defiance  of  the  obligation  of  neutrality. 
For  it  is  specially  to  be  noticed  that  Nelson's  in- 
structions were  to  treat  as  hostile  any  ports  within 
the  Mediterranean,  those  of  Sardinia  excepted,  when 
provisions,  or  other  articles  he  might  be  in  need  of, 
should  be  refused. 

He  arrived  at  Gibraltar  on  the  4th  of  May.  In 
the  Gulf  of  Lyons  he  encountered  a  gale  of  wind 
that  very  nearly  foundered  his  ship  out  of  hand. 
"  Figure  to  yourself,"  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  "  a  vain 
man  on  Sunday  evening  at  sunset  walking  in  his 
cabin  with  his  squadron  about  him,  who  looked  up 
to  their  chief  to  lead  them  to  glory,  and  in  whom 
this  chief  placed  the  firmest  reliance,  that  the  proud- 
est ships,  in  equal  numbers,  belonging  to  France, 
would  have  bowed  their  flags,  and  with  a  very  rich 
prize  lying  by  him.  Figure  to  yourself  this  proud, 
conceited  man  when  the  sun  rose  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, his  ship  dismasted,  his  fleet  dispersed,  and  him- 
self in  such  distress  that  the  meanest  frigate  out  of 
France  would  have  been  a  very  unwelcome  guest." 
The  preservation  of  the  Vanguard  wdi's,  owing  mainly 
to  Captain  Ball,  of  the  Alexander.  We  have  seen 
that  Nelson  in  1783  had  met  Ball  at  St.  Omer,  and 


1797-98]       In  a  Heavy   Gale  of  Wind.  91 

taken  a  strong  dislike  to  him,  possibly  because  of 
his  epaulets.  When  Ball  went  on  board  the  Van- 
guard, to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Rear-Admiral,  Nel- 
son said  to  him,  with  an  off-hand,  contemptuous  air: 
"  What  !  Are  you  come  to  have  your  bones  broken  ?  " 
Ball  responded,  with  much  moderation  of  temper, 
that  he  did  not  intend  to  spare  his  bones  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duty.  In  the  gale  of  the  20th,  the 
Vanguard  was  almost  completely  wrecked.  Ball,  in 
the  Alexander,  took  her  in  tow,  but  Nelson,  fearing 
that  both  ships  would  founder  if  thus  linked,  hailed 
Ball  to  let  go  the  hawser,  and  to  leave  the  Vanguard 
to  her  fate.  Ball,  however,  resolved  to  persevere, 
and  successfully  conveyed  the  Vanguard  to  St. 
Pierre.  Nelson  went  on  board  him,  and,  straining 
the  gallant  commander  to  his  breast  with  his  one 
arm,  exclaimed  :  "  A  friend  in  need  is  a  friend 
indeed."  *  From  that  moment  they  were  warm 
friends. 

In  four  days'  time  the  Vanguard  was  equipped 
and  at  sea  again,  thanks  to  the  extraordinary  efforts 
of  her  carpenter,  Morrison.  On  the  7th  of  June 
Nelson  was  joined  by  a  squadron  of  ten  sail-of-the-line, 
and  the  Leander,  of  fifty  guns,  and  started  in  force 
in  search  of  the  French  fleet.  There  was  earnest 
remonstrance  from  Sir  William  Parker  and  Sir  John 
Orde,  who  were  both  of  them  Nelson's  seniors  in  the 
Service,  on  this  command  of  a  detachment  being 
given  to  him.  The  ill-blood  excited  resulted  in 
Orde  sending  Lord  St.  Vincent  a  chahenge,  but 
there  was  no  duel.     Orde  gave  much  trouble,  hard- 

*  Communicated  by  Ball  himself,  and  quoted  by  Sir  H.  Nicolas. 


92  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelsoft.         [^t.39 

ened  into  the  condition  of  a  man  with  a  griev- 
ance, and  printed  a  long  letter  addressed  to  Nelson. 
Brenton,  who  gives  full  particulars  of  this  affair  in 
his  life  of  St.  Vincent,  says  that  the  Earl,  when 
Nelson  was  objected  to  as  a  junior  officer  to  take 
the  command,  replied  :  "  That  those  who  were 
responsible  for  measures  had  a  right  to  choose  their 
men."  How  very  wise  the  veteran  was  in  this  case 
the  battle  of  the  Nile  abundantly  proved.  The 
opposition  to  Nelson's  appointment,  even  in  the 
higher  departments  of  government,  was  scanda- 
lously bitter.  It  will  scarcely  be  credited  that  a 
letter  from  one  of  the  puisne  Lords  of  the  Ad- 
miralty, in  which  Lord  St.  Vincent  was  insolently 
denounced  for  having  sent  so  young  a  flag-officer  as 
Nelson  to  seek  the  French  fleet,  was  read  publicly  on 
board  Sir  William  Parker's  ship,  the  Prince  George. 
Had  the  Hero  failed,  his  impeachment  would  have 
been  demanded,  and  perhaps  obtained,  in  spite  of 
the  battle  of  St.  Vincent,  and  all  that  he  had  done 
before  and  after  it. 


^\r}.    ^' 


_.i£iJ: 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Pursuit  of  the  French  fleet — Anecdote  of  Lady  Hamil- 
ton— The  fleet  weighs  from  Syracuse — Discovery  of 
Frencli  fleet — Plans  of  attack — Nelson's  policy  of 
instant  fighting — Battle  of  the  Nile — Death  of  Ad- 
miral Brueys — Explosion  of  V Orient — Anecdotes  of 
rescued  Frenchmen — The  CuUodcn  ashore — Nelson 
wounded — Louis  of  the  Minotaur. 

HE  Mediterranean  was  now  to  be  hunted 
for  the  French  fleet.  The  enemy 
had  had  a  long  start,  and  all  that 
Nelson  could  at  this  period  promise  was  that  he 
would  fight  him  the  moment  he  could  reach  him, 
be  he  at  anchor  or  be  he  under  sail.  The  French 
had  been  sighted,  on  the  4th  of  June,  off  Trapani 
in  Sicily,  steering  to  the  eastward ;  then  Trou- 
bridge  heard  that  they  had  gone  towards  Malta. 
Nelson  sailed  for  that  place,  and  on  the  i8th  went 
away  for  Alexandria,  where  Captain  Hardy  reported 
he  could  obtain  no  intelligence.  The  British  Admiral 
then  skirted  the  coast  of  Asia,  arriving  on  the  20th  of 
July  at  Syracuse,  to  obtain  a  supply  of  fresh  pro- 
visions. There  was  in  force  a  treaty  between  Naples 
and  France,  a  clause  of  which  provided  that  no  more 
than  two  English  ships  of  war  should  enter  into  any 
of   the    Neapolitan    or    Sicilian    ports.     Nelson    de- 


94  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [/Et.  3S 

spatched  Captain  Troubridge  to  Naples  to  obtain 
permission  for  his  ships  to  water  at  Syracuse  and 
take  in  other  supplies.  The  romantic  story  goes 
that  Troubridge  arriv^ed  at  the  British  Embassy  at 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Sir  William 
Hamilton  came  hurriedly  from  his  bed  to  receive 
him,  and  on  hearing  what  he  had  to  say,  communi- 
cated with  Sir  John  Acton,  who  at  once  convened 
a  Council  at  which  the  King  was  present.  Nelson's 
application  was  refused  by  the  alarmed  King,  where- 
upon Lady  Hamilton,  rushing  to  the  Queen's  cham- 
ber where  her  Majesty  lay  in  bed,  went  down  upon 
her  knees  to  implore  her  to  authorise  the  required 
assistance  or  the  Sicilies  must  be  lost.  The  Queen 
consented ;  Lady  Hamilton  dictated  ;  and  Nelson 
obtained  what  he  required.  All  this  is  most  pleas- 
antly but  convincingly  disposed  of  by  Mr.  J.  C. 
Jeaffreson,  who  shows  that  Maria  Caroline  was  a 
member  of  the  Council,  and  possessed  of  the  rights 
and  powers  that  position  conferred  ;  that  she  was 
infinitely  more  sensible  than  her  husband  of  the 
menaces  of  France  to  the  country  over  which  she, 
and  perhaps  she  alone,  virtually  ruled ;  that  she 
needed  no  Lady  Hamilton  with  long  hair  to  go 
down  upon  her  knees  to  her,  but  as  an  intrepid,  self- 
dependent,  resolute  woman,  Avas  perfectly  happy  to 
render  quietly  all  needful  assistance  to  that  British 
Admiral  in  whom  only  she  could  find  hope  in  this 
time  of  enormous  difficulty  and  insecurity.*  In- 
deed, all  the  Queen's  affectionate  attentions  to  Lady 
Hamilton  were  paid  with   a    strict  eye  to  business 

*  "  Lady  Hamilton  and  Lord  N'eUon,"  vol.  i. 


17981  In  Search  of  the  French  Fleet.  95 

and  to  Sir  William  as  the  British  Minister.  Lady 
Hamilton  wrote  in  Nelson's  Letter-Book :  "  The 
Queen's  letter,  privately  got  by  me,  got  him  his  fleet 
victualled  and  watered  in  a  few  days. — Emma  Hamil- 
ton." She  doubtless  believed  this,  though  not  perhaps 
until  after  years  of  telling  it.  Nelson  never  doubted 
it  from  the  beginning,  as  we  may  gather  from  the  last 
solemn  desire  he  wrote  down  on  the  eve  of  Trafalgar. 
Having  laid  in  a  stock  of  water,  wine,  lemons, 
and  bullocks  at  Syracuse,  the  squadron  under  Nel- 
son weighed.  He  wrote  to  Lady  Nelson  :  "  I  have 
not  been  able  to  find  the  French  fleet.  ...  I 
yet  live  in  hopes  of  meeting  these  fellows  ;  but  it 
would  have  been  my  delight  to  have  tried  Buona- 
parte on  a  bowline,  for  he  commands  the  fleet  as  well 
as  the  army.  Glory  is  my  object  and  that  alone." 
He  was  sadly  delayed  by  want  of  frigates,  "  the  eyes 
of  a  fleet,"  as  he  called  them.  The  French  were 
insolently  exultant.  "  I  arrived,"  wrote  Admiral 
Brueys  at  Aboukir  Bay,  "  in  the  afternoon  (July 
7th)  and  formed  a  line  of  battle  at  two  thirds  of  a 
cable's  length.  ...  I  have  heard  nothing  fur- 
ther of  the  English.  They  are  gone  perhaps  to  look 
for  us  in  the  west  of  Syria  ;  or  rather,  and  this  is 
my  private  opinion,  theyjiave  not  so  many  as  four- 
teen sail-of-the-line,  and  not  finding  themselves  suf- 
ciently  numerous,  do  not  judge  it  apropos  to  measure 
themselves  with  us."  "  We  are  now  moored  in  such 
a  manner,"  wrote  Jaubert,  Commissary  of  the  Fleet 
(8th  July)  "  as  to  bid  defiance  to  a  force  more  than 
double  our  own."  * 


*  Clarke  and  M'Arthur.   II.,  pp.  io6,  107. 


96  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  39 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  August  Nelson's 
squadron  was  off  the  city  of  Alexandria.  The  har- 
bour was  full  of  transports,  and  from  many  flag-posts 
the  French  tri-colour  was  floating.  At  four  o'clock 
\.\\<:^  Zealous,  Captain  Samuel  Hood,  made  the  signal  of 
the  French  fleet.  The  force  under  Nelson  amounted 
to  thirteen  74-gun  ships,  and  one  50,  with  one  brig 
sloop  only.  The  French  fleet  consisted  of  one  120- 
gun  ship,  three  8o's,  nine  74's,  two  40's,  two  36's, 
two  brigs,  and  several  bomb  vessels  and  gunboats.* 
Before  taking  up  his  anchorage  in  Aboukir  Bay, 
Vice-Admiral  Brueys  had  called  a  council  of  his  flag- 
ofificers  and  captains  to  determine  whether  the  ships 
should  engage  at  anchor  or  under  canvas.  Blanquet, 
rear-Admiral,  alone  of  them  all,  disapproved  of  the 
fleet  remaining  at  anchor.  The  ships  were  thereupon 
formed  in  line  ahead,  occupying  a  curve  a  mile  and 
five  eighths  in  extent. 

The  keenest  delight  was  felt  throughout  the 
British  ships  at  sight  of  the  enemy.  The  sailors' 
appetites  had  been  extraordinarily  whetted  by  their 
}ong,  tedious  scouring  of  the  Mediterranean.  Nel- 
son himself  for  days  had  hardly  eaten  or  slept  ;  but 
now  that  the  Frenchmen  he  had  been  so  long  in 
search  of  were  to  be  seen,  he  ordered  his  dinner 
to  be  served  whilst  the  Vanguard  \v:is  filled  with  the 
hurry  and  bustle  of  the  preparation  for  battle,  and 
on  rising  from  table  he  is  said  to  have  exclaimed 
to  his  officers :  "  Before  this  time  to-morrow  I 
shall  have  gained  a  Peerage  or  Westminster 
Abbey."  f      The    French     account    represents    the 

*  See  Appendix. 

f  These  gasconades,  as  Sir  II.  Nicolas  calls   them,  about  West- 


1798]  Plan  of  Attack.  97 

wind  as  light,  but  in  the  offing  at  all  events  it  was 
blowing  what  seamen  call  a  topgallant  breeze,  so 
that  when  Nelson  hauled  upon  a  wind  nriost  of 
the  ships  had  to  take  in  their  royals.  It  had  been 
the  Hero's  practice,  so  Sir  Edward  Berry  tells  us,* 
during  the  whole  of  the  cruise,  to  take  every  oppor- 
tunity of  weather  to  bring  together  the  captains  of 
his  ships  aboard  the  Vanguard,  when  he  would  fully 
explain  to  them  his  own  ideas  of  the  different  and 
best  modes  of  attack.  He  assumed  every  imagina- 
ble situation  for  the  enemy's  fleet,  and  provided 
for  dealing  with  it  in  that  situation.  The  com- 
manders, therefore,  on  beholding  the  French  fleet 
at  anchor  in  Aboukir  Bay,  knew  exactly  what 
Nelson  intended;  very  few  signals  were  needed, 
and  thus  was  saved  all  the  delay  consequent  upon 
the  obligation  of  communicating  strategic  measures 
by  message  and  by  flags.  It  has  been  denied  that 
Nelson's  plans  were  preconcerted  ;  but  what  is  not 
denied  ?  General  Sir  Charles  Napier  f  preposter- 
ously claims  for  Captain  Foley  the  merit  of  this 
great  victory  !  "  Lord  Nelson  was  not  the  man  who 
proved  the  adventure,"  he  says.  And  why  ?  Because 
Foley's  ship,  as  Captain  S.  Hood  attested,  not  hav- 
ing her  ground  tackle  ready,  brought  up  abreast  of 
the  second  ship  of  the  enemy  inside  of  her.  Bren- 
ton  also  states  on  the  authority  of  Saumarez,  who 
was  second   in   command,  that  the  plan  of  placing 

minster  Abbey  and  Glorious  Victory  and  Peerages  and  the  like  which 
Be'hune,  Clarke  and  M'Arthur,  and  others  put  into  Nelson's  mouth, 
are  to  be  received  with  distrust. 

*  "An  Authentic  Narrative,"  etc.,  1798. 

\  United  Service  youmal,  1837. 

7 


98  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.  [>Ct.  39 

the  enemy  between  two  fires  was  not  preconcerted. 
Nelson's  genius  was  instant  in  its  perception  and 
resolution.  He  could  not  indeed  have  prophetically 
provided  for  the  exact  conditions  under  which  he 
now  found  the  French  fleet  ;  but  it  is  ridiculous  to 
suppose  that  amidst  his  numberless  anticipations 
he  had  not  foreseen  some  such  a  disposition  of  the 
enemy's  forces  as  was  now  discovered,  and  pre- 
arranged with  his  captains  for  it.  One  difficulty  his 
lightning-like  mind  witnessed  and  extinguished.  He 
perceived  that  where  there  was  room  for  an  enemy's 
ship  to  swing  there  was  room  for  one  of  his  own 
squadron  to  anchor.  The  rest  merely  signified  the 
use  of  the  lead-line  and  all  possible  precaution  in 
entering  the  shoaling  water  and  taking  up  the 
retired   positions. 

Most  sailors  will  probably  consider  tb-is  battle  of 
the  Nile  the  most  triumphant  in  skill  and  daring  of 
Nelson's  achievements.  As  sea-manoeuvrers  the 
French  were  but  poor  hands  at  the  best ;  but  now 
they  were  in  a  situation  that  made.no  demands  upon 
them  as  sailors.  There  were  no  braces  to  handle, 
no  wheels  to  turn  ;  their  ships  lay  motionless  upon 
the  smooth  waters  of  Aboukir  Bay,  and  were  as 
fortresses  for  their  people  to  let  fly  their  ordnance 
from.  In  gunnery  they  were  superb  as  precisionists, 
and  now  in  this  science  of  taking  aim  and  firing  they 
were  to  have  it  all  their  own  way.  We  must 
realise  every  condition  of  this  wonderful  fight  to 
appreciate  its  performance  and  its  issue  :  the  superior 
force  of  the  enemy, — the  darkness  of  the  night  draw- 
ing round, — the  penetration  of  a  space  of  water  of 


1798]  Battle  of  the  Nile.  99 

which  there  was  not  a  man  aboard  the  Enghsh  squad- 
ron who  knew  anything.  What,  may  be  asked,  would 
have  been  the  decision  of  any  other  mind  than  that 
of  Nelson?  The  French  were  trapped  ;  they  would 
probably  remain  where  they  were  till  daybreak ;  the 
safety  of  the  British  squadron  would  be  imperilled 
by  entering  that  uncertain,  that  unknown  bay  in  the 
gloom  of  the  evening.  Therefore  the  one  practicable 
expedient  must  be  to  heave  to  and  wait  for  the  sun 
to  rise  and  attack  the  enemy  as  he  lay  at  anchor  or 
receive  him  as  he  got  underway  and  came  out.  The 
seminal  principle  of  all  Nelson's  tactics  was  to  have 
at  the  foe  at  once.  Wait  for  nothing  !  shift  your 
helm,  and^^  for  him  !  get  alongside  as  nimbly  as  your 
keel  will  carry  you,  and  then  fight  I  He  was  Com- 
mander-in-chief now ;  nozv  had  come  his  first  mag- 
nificent opportunity.  Heretofore  he  had  been  acting 
under  the  eye  of  others,  a  Hero  to  be  controlled  in  a 
degree  by  the  irresolution  or  the  easily  appeased  ambi- 
tion of  a  senior.  But  this  was  to  be  a  Nelson  fight, 
all  his  own  !  and  with  six  ensigns,  and  flags  red,  white, 
and  blue  flying  in  his  rigging,  he  hauled  upon  a  bow- 
line for  Aboukir  Bay,  his  squadron  of  ships  swelling 
like  white  clouds  upon  the  afternoon  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean  as  they  floated  in  their  majesty  of 
chequered  sides  and  heights  of  gleaming  rounded 
canvas  down  upon  the  enemy. 

The  Goliath  and  Zealous  led  the  wa)'.  They  were 
followed  by  the  Orion,  Audacious,  3.i\d  Theseus.  The 
vessels  entered  the  bay  in  grim  silence — hands  in  the 
channels  heaving  the  lead,  hands  aloft  furling  the 
canvas  as  sail  was  shortened  from  the  deck,  hands 


lOO  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  39 

ranged  alongside  overhauling  lengths  of  cable  ready 
to  anchor  by  the  stern.  The  signal  was  for  "  the 
headmost  ship  to  bear  down  and  engage  as  she 
reached  the  van  of  the  enemy  ;  the  next  ship  to  pass 
by  and  engage  the  second  ship  of  the  line ;  and  so 
on."  One  after  another  the  British  battle-ships  took 
up  their  positions,  receiving  broadsides  plump  into 
their  bows  from  the  enemy,  with  a  simultaneous  fly- 
ing of  colours  on  both  sides  streaming  like  flames  of 
fire  amid  the  satin-white  bodies  of  powder-smoke 
floating  up  from  the  tall  and  bristling  sides  of  the 
Frenchmen.  At  thirty-one  minutes  past  six  the  sun 
was  setting  and  the  action  had  begun.  At  seven  it 
was  as  black  as  midnight,  without  any  gleam  of  moon 
as  yet.  But  the  incessant  flashings  of  the  guns  made 
crimson  the  heavens,  and  amid  the  blood-red  dimness 
of  the  smoke  of  the  conflict  the  towering  fabrics  of 
the  contending  vessels  loomed  in  giant  proportions. 
When  the  sun  sank  every  British  ship  had  hoisted 
at  her  mizzen  peak  four  horizontal  lights.  In  less 
than  twelve  minutes  the  van  ship  of  the  enemy — 
Lc  Gticrrier — was  dismasted  ;  ten  minutes  later  Le 
Conqueratit,  and  almost  at  the  same  instant  Le  Spar- 
late,  were  almost  wholly  wrecked  aloft.  At  half- 
past  eight  LAqiiilon  and  Le  Souveraiji  Peuplc,  the 
fourth  and  fifth  ships  of  the  enemy's  line  surrendered. 
Even  at  this  early  hour  it  seemed  that  the  victory 
was  with  the  British,  for  although  the  huge  L Orient, 
L'Heiireux,  and  Tonnant  were  not  taken  possession 
of,  they  were  regarded  as  good  as  captured. 

It  was  about  ten  minutes  after  nine,  that  U Orient 
was  observed  to  be  on  fire.     She  was  the  flag-ship  of 


1798]  Burning  of ''  L  Orient!'  i o i 

the  Admiral  de  Brueys.  This  gallant  sailor  had  pre- 
viously been  wounded  in  the  head  and  arm,  but 
shortly  after  eight  o'clock,  according  to  the  French 
account,  two  British  ships*  having  anchored,  one 
on  VOrienfs  starboard  bow,  and  the  other  on 
her  larboard  or  port  quarter,  the  French  Admiral  was 
almost  cut  in  two  by  a  shot.  He  requested  to  be 
left  to  lie  upon  the  deck  and  expired  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  afterwards.  Rear-Admiral  Blanquet,  in  the 
Franklin,  was  soon  afterwards  wounded  in  the  face 
and  carried  away  senseless. 

The  burning  of  L Orient  forms  the  most  terrific 
incident  of  that  savage  and  tremendous  scene  of 
battle.  The  explosion  of  the  huge  fabric  was  inevi- 
table, and  the  crews  of  the  warships  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  her  went  to  work  in  red-hot  haste 
to  clear  their  decks  of  all  combustibles,  and  to  wet 
their  sails,  whilst  men  were  stationed  in  all  direc- 
tions with  buckets  of  water  in  their  hands.  Such 
was  the  temper,  however,  of  the  crew  of  V Orient, 
that  even  when  her  lower  deck  was  in  flames,  her 
men  continued  to  fire  the  guns  on  the  upper  decks. 
An  ofificer  who  was  on  board  the  Lcander  frigate 
describes  the  scene  as  it  showed  at  ten  o'clock :  fore 
and  aft  the  flames  were  waving  in  forks  and  living 
sheets  and  leaping  on  high,  as  though  from  the  heart 
of  some  mighty  volcano.  She  had  ceased  to  fire ; 
her  sprit-sail  yard  and  bowsprit  were  crowded  with 
men  who  continued  to  crawl  out,  blackening  those 
spats  like  flies,  as  the  raging  fire  grew.  By  the  wild, 
mast-high  flames  the  whole  scene  of  battle  was  as  visi- 

*  The  Swifisure  and  the  Alexander  are  probably  referred  to. 


UNIVEEPTTY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


102  The  Life  of  Horatio  Ahl son.         [/Et.  39 

ble  as  by  the  light  of  the  noontide  sun.  The  colours 
of  the  flags  of  the  ships  could  be  easily  distinguished- 
Every  rope,  every  spar,  the  forms  of  the  half-naked 
crews,  smoke-blackened  and  in  active  motion,  the 
land  beyond  with  all  details  of  the  island  fortress 
and  of  the  distant  rearmost  ships,  were  startlingly 
visible  by  the  glow  of  the  burning  ship,  the  brilliance 
of  which  was  that  of  the  conflagration  of  a  city.  At 
Rosetta,  many  miles  distant  from  Aboukir,  the  roar 
of  the  battle  was  audible,  and  the  scarlet  of  the  at- 
mosphere about  the  flaming  (9rzV;// clearly  witnessed. 
The  dark  figures  of  bodies  of  Arabs  were  to  be  seen 
upon  the  shore  gazing  in  motionless  postures  at  the 
awful  sight.*  Shortly  after  ten  the  great  ship  blew 
up.  The  explosion  was  that  of  an  earthquake.  The 
concussion  swept  through  every  seam,  timber,  and 
joint  of  the  nearest  ships,  with  the  sensation  as 
though  the  solid  fabrics  were  crumbling  into  staves 
under  the  feet  of  the  seamen.  The  air  was  filled 
wMth  blazing  masses  of  rigging  and  timber,  shot  to 
an  immense  height,  descending  in  gigantic  javelins 
of  flame  and  piercing  the  water  with  the  hissing  as 
of  an  electric  storm  of  hail  followed  by  blinding 
clouds  of  steam.  The  sight  was  blackened  as  by  a 
lightning  stroke,  and  the  instant  the  prodigious 
glare  of  the  explosion  had  passed,  the  darkness  of  the 
night  seemed  to  roll  down  in  folds  of  ink  upon  the 
vision  of  the  seamen.  All  was  hushed  ;  every  man 
in  both  fleets  appeared  paralysed  ;  and  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  it  is  said  no  gun  was  fired,  no 
movement  was  perceptible. 

*  Charnock's  "  Life  of  Nelson,"  p.  io8. 


1798]       Anecdotes  of  Rescued  Frenchmen.         103 

From  the  deck  of  the  Leander  a  number  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  miserable  crowds  which  had  filled  the 
decks  and  'tween  decks  of  U Orient  were  observed  to 
be  swimming  towards  the  frigate.  "  The  piercing 
cries  of  these  unfortunate  men,"  wrote  one  Avho  was 
present,  "  seem  still  to  vibrate  on  my  ear,  as  some  of 
them  approaching  near  the  Leander,  cried  out :  '  Bon 
John,  give  rop-e ! — Oh,  bon  John,  give  rop-e,  give 
rop-e !  '  As  many  of  them  as  possible,  we  res- 
cued from  a  watery  grave,  though  some  of  them, 
after  all  our  endeavours,  sunk  to  rise  no  more. 
It  was  wonderful  to  observe,  notwithstanding  the 
deplorable  circumstances  in  which  these  poor  fellows 
were  placed,  what  strength  the  amor  pat  rice,  or  reluc- 
tance to  acknowledge  defeat,  exerted  in  them.  To 
one  of  these  forlorn  creatures  drenched  with  water 
and  exhausted  with  fatigue,  I  said  :  '  Well,  Monsieur, 
what  think  you  now  of  your  Buonaparte?'  To  which, 
the  hapless  man  summoning  the  little  energy  which 
remained  in  him,  replied  :  '  Oh,  Monsieur  John  Bull, 
dis  nothing,  dis  nothing;  vive  Napoleon!'  "* 

The  French  account  fixes  the  blowing  up  of 
L Orient  at  a  quarter  to  eleven.  The  great  mass  of 
her  people  who  were  swimming  about  in  the  water  near 
her  at  the  time  were  instantly  destroyed  ;  amongst 
those  who  perished  were  Commodore  Casablanca,  and 
his  son,  a  little  fellow  ten  years  old,  who  during  the 
action  had  behaved  with  astonishing  bravery  and  in- 
telligence, and  the  memory  of  whose  sad  death  must 
long  be  perpetuated  by  Mrs.  Hemans's  moving  verses. 
Nelson's  force  was  weakened,  and  his  victory  conse- 

*  Blackwood' s  Magazine,   1832,  p.  574, 


I04  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  39 

quently  heightened  by  the  Culloden  going  ashore  at 
a  distance  from  the  combatants,  which  rendered 
her  useless.  Captain  Troubridge  had  been  detained 
by  the  towing  of  a  prize ;  he  cast  her  off  and 
advanced  cautiously,  sounding  as  he  did  so.  The 
afternoon  was  darkening  into  night,  when  on  a 
sudden  the  Culloden  grounded  on  the  tail  of  a  shoal 
that  ran  from  the  Island  of  Bequieres.  Everything 
was  done  to  warp  her  off,  but  she  remained  immov- 
ably fixed.  Troubridge's  anguish  of  mind  was  acute. 
Miss  Knight  says  that  after  the  battle  he  wrote 
to  condole  with  Captain  Darby  of  the  Bellerophon, 
who  was  badly  wounded,  and  had  also  lost  a  number 
of  his  people  ;  "  but  added  that,  had  his  sufferings 
been  fifty  times  as  much,  lie  had  rather  been  in  his 
place,  than  have  borne  the  anguish  he  felt  from  run- 
ning aground  and  being  kept  out  of  the  Action — 
that  he  had  found  great  difficulty  in  keeping  from 
shooting  himself,  and  that  he  even  then  frequently 
shed  tears.  Captain  Darby  and  Captain  Gould,  who 
was  present  when  he  received  the  letter,  both  wept."* 
After  the  blowing  up  of  L Orient  the  firing  was 
recommenced  by  a  French  ship,  the  Franklin,  and 
the  action  raged  afresh  for  twenty  minutes,  when 
there  came  a  dead  pause  that  lasted  nearly  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  The  battle  was  then  renewed 
and  continued  until  three  in  the  morning,  when  it 
again  ceased.  The  van  of  the  enemy  having  been 
conquered,  such  British  ships  as  were  in  a  condition 
to  move  dropped  down  upon  the  fresh,  untouched 
French  vessels  in  the  rear,  and  again  the  bay  was 

*  "  Autobiography  of  Miss  Cornelia  Knight,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  287, 


1798]  Wounded  in  the  Head.  105 

full  of  thunder  and  conflict.  A  few  minutes  past 
five  in  the  morning  the  only  two  rear  ships  of  the 
line  of  the  enemy  which  had  their  colours  flying 
were  Le  Giiillaiimc  TV// and  Le  Gcncreux.  Both  these 
vessels  at  eleven  o'clock,  with  two  frigates,  cut  their 
cables  and  stood  out  to  sea  pursued  by  the  Zealous, 
Captain  Hood,  who,  as  it  was  impossible  to  support 
him,  was  recalled  after  a  short  chase. 

Nelson  had  been  wounded  some  time  before 
UOrient  blew  up.  The  hour  is  believed  to  have 
been  about  half-past  eight.  It  is  said  that  he  was 
looking  over  a  rough  sketch  of  the  Bay  of  Aboukir, 
which  had  been  taken  out  of  a  French  ship  by  Cap- 
tain Hallowell  a  few  days  before  the  action,  when 
he  was  struck  in  the  forehead  by  a  langridge  shot  or 
some  such  missile ;  the  skin  was  cut  at  right  angles, 
and  hanging  over  his  eye  utterly  blinded  him.  Cap- 
tain Berry  caught  him  as  he  reeled.  He  cried  out  :  "  I 
am  killed ;  remember  me  to  my  wife."  He  was 
carried  below  into  the  cockpit,  and  Jefferson,  the 
Vanguard'' s  surgeon,  went  immediately  to  attend  him, 
but  he  exclaimed  :  "  No,  I  will  take  my  turn  with 
my  brave  followers."  So  intense  was  the  pain  that 
he  had  no  doubt  whatever  his  end  was  at  hand. 
The  surgeon  having  probed  the  wound  assured  him 
there  was  no  danger;  but  this  he  refused  to  believe, 
and  calling  Mr.  Comyn,  the  chaplain,  to  his  side,  he 
asked  him  to  convey  his  dying  remembrance  to  Lady 
Nelson,  and  then  ordered  the  Minotaur  to  be  hailed 
that  he  might  thank  Captain  Louis,  her  commander, 
for  his  noble  support  of  the  Variguard.  The  story 
of  this  interview  has  been  related   by  an  officer  who 


io6  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  39 

was  in  the  action.  *  It  seems  that  when  the  Van- 
guard anchored  alongside  Le  Spartiate  she  was 
exposed  to  the  raking  fire  of  L' Agjiilon,  the  next 
ship  in  the  enemy's  Hne.  In  a  few  minutes  fifty 
or  sixt}'  men  of  the  Vanguard  were  killed  or  dis- 
abled. Louis  in  the  Minotaur  stationed  himself 
ahead  of  Nelson  and  effectually  relieved  the  Ad- 
miral's ship  by  overpowering  the  Frenchman. 
"  While  yet  the  combat  was  raging  with  the  utmost 
fury,  and  he  himself  was  suffering  severely  in  the 
cockpit  from  the  dreadful  wound  in  his  head,  he 
sent  for  his  first  lieutenant,  Mr.  Capel,  and  ordered 
him  to  go  on  board  the  Minotaur  in  the  jolly-boat 
to  desire  Captain  Louis  to  come  to  him,  for  that  he 
could  not  have  a  moment's  peace  until  he  had 
thanked  him  for  his  conduct;  adding:  '  This  is  the 
hundrcth  and  tzventyfourtJi  time  that  I  have  been 
engaged,  hut  I  believe  it  is  now  nearly  over  with  me' 
The  subsequent  meeting  which  took  place  between 
the  Admiral  and  Captain  Louis  was  affecting  in  the 
extreme.  The  latter  hung  over  his  bleeding  friend 
in  silent  sorrow.  '  Farewell,  dear  Louis,'  said  the 
Admiral,  '  I  shall  never  forget  the  obligation  I  am 
under  to  you  for  your  brave  and  generous  conduct ; 
and  now  whatever  may  become  of  me  my  mind  is 
at  peace.'  "f 

*  Naval  Chronicle y  vol.  i.,  p.  2S7. 

\  Sir  Harris  Nicolas  seems  to  doubt  this  story  because  he  finds  no 
mention  in  the  Vanguard' s  log  of  any  communication  having  taken 
place,  during  the  battle,  with  the  Minotaur.  But  what  is  to  become 
of  history  if  the  assertions  of  contemporaries  and  of  eye-witnesses  are 
to  be  rejected?  It  is  not  because  a  comparatively  trifling  detail  of  a 
vast  scene  of  battle  is  omitted  in  a  log-book  amid  the  hurry  and 


1798]  Exciteme7it  after  Victory.  107 

When  the  wound  had  been  dressed,  Nelson  was 
requested  to  remain  quiet  in  the  bread-room  ;  but 
he  was  too  eager  to  write  a  dispatch  to  the  Admi- 
ralty to  obey  the  surgeon's  orders.  He  sent  for  his 
secretary,  Mr.  Campbell,  who  himself  was  wounded, 
and  who,  on  beholding  the  suffering  of  the  blinded 
Admiral  was  so  much  affected  that  he  could  not 
write.  The  chaplain  was  then  summoned,  but  such 
was  Nelson's  impatience  that  groping  himself  for  the 
pen  he  proceeded  to  trace  some  words  expressive  of 
the  emotions  inspired  in  him  by  the  course  of  the 
conflict.  Presently  Captain  Berry  came  below  to 
tell  him  that  L Orient  was  on  fire.  It  is  said  that  he 
was  led  on  deck  to  witness  the  conflagration,  which 
is  indeed  irreconcilable  with  the  statement  that  he 
lay  blind  in  the  bread-room — so  blind  and  suffering, 
as  we  have  seen,  that  his  secretary  was  too  overcome 
to  do  his  business.  After  the  Frenchman  had  blown 
up,  Nelson  was  persuaded  to  go  to  bed,  but  he  was 
so  restless  that  he  insisted  upon  again  getting  up 
that  he  might  sign  Mr.  Capel's  commission  to  the 
Mutine  and  Captain  Hardy's  commission  to  the 
Vanguard  in  the  room  of  Captain  Berry,  who  was 
to  go  home  with  the  dispatches. 


uproar  of  the  strife  that  it  must  necessarily  be  false.  Nelson  was  a 
regular  reader  of  the  Naval  Chronicle  ;  he  must  have  seen  this  anec- 
dote which  Nicolas  doubts  ;  and  had  he  contradicted  it  we  may 
depend  that  somebody  would  have  overheard  and  repeated  the  con- 
tradiction. In  the  Naval  Chrotiicle,  vol.  iii.,  p.  183,  it  is  stated  in 
reference  to  this  story  of  Captain  Louis  :  "  The  anecdote  inserted  at 
this  page  is  perfectly  correct  except  in  what  relates  to  a  boat  being 
hoisted  out  from  the  Vanguard.  Captain  Berry  hailed  the  Minotaur 
as  she  passed." 


CHAPTER  IX. 


»  Comparative  force  of  the  two  fleets — Signal  but 
f'  extraordinary  triumph — French  remarks  on  the 
battle — Captain  Hallowell's  gift — Consequence^ 
of  the  battle  of  the  Nile — Honours  and  gifts — 
Reception  of  the  news  at  Naples — Nelson's  dislike 
of  Naples — His  arrival  and  reception  by  the  King 
of  the  Two  Sicilies — Anecdote  of  the  Vant^uard 
— The  Hamiltons'  House — Festivities  at  Naples 
— Lady  Nelson's  uneasiness. 

HE  whole  of  the  2d  of  August  was 
employed  in  securing  the  French 
ships  that  had  struck.  Early  that  day  Nelson 
issued  the  following  memorandum :  "  Almighty 
God  having  blessed  His  Majesty's  Arms  with 
Victory,  the  Admiral  intends  returning  Public 
Thanksgiving  for  the  same  at  two  o'clock  this  day ; 
and  he  recommends  every  Ship  doing  the  same  as 
soon  as  convenient."  On  this  morning  the  Cnllodcn 
was  floated  ofT  with  the  loss  of  her  rudder,  and  such 
damage  besides  that  her  crew  could  scarcely  keep  her 
from  foundering  with  all  the  pumps  going  ;  but  within 
four  days  Troubridge  contrived  and  shipped  a  new 
rudder,  and  the  line-of-battle  ship,  though  very  leaky, 
was  again  fit  for  service.  The  Arabs  and  Mamelukes 
who  had  witnessed  the  battle  from  the  shore  illumi- 

io8 


1798] 


Force  of  the    Two  Fleets. 


109 


nated  the  coast  and  country  for  several  nights  in  cele- 
bration of  the  British  victory.  There  had  never  to 
that  hour  been  a  more  decisive  battle  at  sea.  The 
comparative  force  of  the  two  fleets  is  thus  stated  : 


English. 

French. 

Ships. 

Guns. 

Men. 

Ships. 

Guns. 

Men. 

14* 

1,012 

8,o63 

19 

1,196 

II  230 

The  number  of  the  enemy  taken,  drowned,  burnt, 
and  missing,  was  5,225.  On  the  English  side  218 
men  were  killed  and  ^yj  wounded. 

This  overwhelming  defeat  of  the  French  must 
always  rank  amongst  the  most  astonishing  achieve- 
ments in  the  catalogue  of  the  battles  of  the  world, 
by  reason  of  the  situation  and  disposition  of  the 
opposing  forces.  It  was  simply  a  conflict  of  bom- 
bardment ;  the  issue  was  wholly  an  affair  of  the 
cannon's  mouth.  There  was  no  boarding ;  that  all- 
conquering  weapon  in  the  British  sailor's  hands,  the 
pike,  was  not  employed  ;  there  was  no  manoeuvring  ; 
no  demand  upon  the  skilful  seamanship  of  the  Brit- 
ish commanders,  outside  the  judgment  exhibited  in 
taking  up  a  position.  The  ships  lay  at  anchor  and 
fired  into  one  another,  and  it  never  yet  has  been 
explained  how  it  was  that  the  French  should  have 
suffered  so  incredibly  more  than  the  English.     Was 


*  Of  these  the  Culloden  was  never  in  the  action,  and  another,  the 
Leander,  was  a  small  frigate,  thouj^h  she  did  some  noble  work. 


1 1  o  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [/Et.  39 


it  that  the  firing  of  Nelson's  squadron  was  fiercer, 
swifter,  more  furious  than  that  of  the  French? 
When  he  captured  the  Santa  Sabina  the  Spaniards 
declared  that,  such  was  the  ferociousness  of  the 
Mincrves  fire,  //  zvas  like  being  in  Hell  aboard  their 
own  ship.  One  witnesses  this  same  almost  preter- 
natural capacity  of  rapid  and  overwhelming  firing 
amongst  the  English  seamen  at  Copenhagen  and  at 
Trafalgar. 

The  French  at  the  Nile  attributed  their  defeat  to 
two  causes :  first,  a  deficiency  in  the  number  of 
good  seamen  ;  and  second,  a  neglect  on  the  part  of 
many  of  the  ships  to  obey  the  Admiral's  signal 
to  send  a  stream  cable  to  the  vessel  astern  for  a 
hawser  to  be  made  fast  to,  that  a  spring  might  be 
obtained.  The  vessels  in  the  rear  could  only  look- 
idly  on  whilst  their  van  was  being  battered  to  pieces. 
The  destruction  of  L Orient  was  a  tremendous  loss, 
and  the  death  of  Brueys  an  overwhelming  dis- 
couragement. 

The  fabric  of  V Orient  is  still,  it  is  said,  to  be  seen 
peacefully  resting  in  green  and  sandy  repose  under 
the  glass-clear  surface  of  the  water  of  Aboukir  Bay, 
whilst  the  Conqueror  reposes  in  a  relic  of  the  great 
ship  under  the  dome  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral.  When 
she  blew  up,  a  portion  of  her  mainmast  was  taken  on 
board  the  Swiftsnre.  The  praise  lavished  on  Nel- 
son determined  Captain  Hallowell  in  May,  1799,  to 
blandly  remind  the  Hero  that  he  was  mortal.  Noth- 
ing he  thought  could  be  fitter  to  produce  the  impres- 
sion he  desired  to  make  than  the  gift  of  a  coffin  !  He 
ordered  one  to  be  fashioned  out  of  a  part  of  L' Orient's 


1798]      Captain  Hallowcll s  Singular  Gift.      1 1 1 

mast,  and  took  particular  care  that  everything  used  in 
its  construction  should  be  manufactured  out  of  that 
spar.  The  very  staples  were  formed  of  the  spikes 
drawn  from  the  cheeks  of  the  mast,  and  when  the 
cofifin  lid  was  closed  toggles  were  employed  to  keep 
it  down,  to  render  nails  or  screws  unnecessary.  A 
paper  was  pasted  on  the  bottom  of  the  cof^n  on 
which  was  written  :  "  I  do  hereby  certify  that  every 
part  of  this  Coffin  is  made  of  the  wood  and  iron  of 
L Orient,  most  of  which  was  picked  up  by  His  Ma- 
jesty's Ship,  under  my  command,  in  the  Bay  of 
Aboukir.  Swiftsure,  May  23,  1799.  Ben.  Hallo- 
well."  When  this  singular  gift  was  despatched  to 
Nelson  the  following  letter  accompanied  it :  "  My 
Lord,  Herewith  I  send  you  a  Coffin  made  of  part 
of  U Orient's  mainmast,  that  when  you  are  tired  of 
this  life  you  may  be  buried  in  one  of  your  own  Tro- 
phies— but  may  that  period  be  far  distant,  is  the  sin- 
cere wish  of  your  obedient  and  much  obliged  servant, 
Ben.  Hallowcll."  Nicolas  says  that  when  this  coffin 
was  received  aboard  Nelson's  ship  the  sailors  talked 
about  it  with  amazement  and  even  alarm.  "  We 
shall  have  hot  work"  of  it  indeed  !  "  cried  one  of 
them  ;  "  you  see  the  Admiral  intends  to  fight  till 
he  's  killed,  and  there  he  's  to  be  buried."  One 
would  give  much  to  know  in  what  terms  Nelson 
answered  Hallowell's  letter.  His  reply — if  indeed  he 
ever  replied  by  pen — has  never  been  found.  That 
he  highly  appreciated  the  gift  is  certain.  He  ordered 
it  to  be  placed  upright  with  the  lid  on,  against  the 
cabin  bulkhead  in  the  wake  of  his  chair  on  which  he 
sat  at  dinner,  until  Tom  Allen,  his  servant,  probably 


1 1 2  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [/Et.  39 


compassionating  the  emotions  of  visitors,  induced 
him  to  allow  this  very  unpleasant  piece  of  furniture 
to  be  carried  below.  One  day  observing  the  eyes  of 
his  officers  to  be  directed  at  it  whilst  it  was  in  his 
cabin,  he  exclaimed  :  "  You  may  look  at  it,  gentle- 
men, as  long  as  you  please  ;  but  depend  upon  it  none 
of  you  shall  have  it."  Needless  perhaps  to  state  that 
Nelson  was  actually  buried  in  this  coffin. 

The  effects  of  the  battle  of  the  Nile  are  felicitously 
exhibited  in  the  following  sentences  by  la  Gravi^re : 
"  It  was  this  battle  which  for  two  years  delivered  up 
the  Mediterranean  to  the  power  of  England  ;  sum- 
moned thither  the  Russian  squadrons;  left  the 
French  army  isolated  amidst  a  hostile  population  ; 
decided  the  Porte  in  declaring  against  it;  saved 
India  from  French  enterprise  ;  and  brought  France 
within  a  hair's  breadth  of  her  ruin  by  reviving  the 
smouldering  flames  of  war  with  Austria  and  bringing 
Suwarrow  and  the  Austro-Russians  to  the  French 
frontiers."  * 

On  the  6th  of  October  the  London  Gazette  an- 
nounced Nelson's  elevation  to  the  dignity  of  a 
Baron.  A  nation  that  would  have  been  clamorous 
for  the  Hero's  impeachment  had  he  missed  the 
French  or  been  beaten  by  them,  now  considered  a 
barony  as  a  very  mean  recognition  of  the  claims  of 
the  Victor  of  the  Nile.  Jcrvis  had  been  made  an 
Earl,  and  Duncan  a  Viscount  for  successes  incom- 
parably smaller,  or  at  least  of  less  significance,  than 
that  achieved  in  Aboukir  Bay.  It  was  said,  in 
response  to  the  wide-spread  dissatisfaction,  that 
*  Quoted  by  Pcttigrevv  from  Plunkett's  "  Last  Naval  War." 


1798]  Honours  and  Presents.  1 1 3 

Nelson  had  acted  as  subordinate  to  Earl  St.  Vin- 
cent,— who,  to  be  sure,  had  no  more  to  do  with 
the  battle  of  the  Nile  than  with  the  battle  of  Cam- 
perdown, — and  that  his  claims,  therefore,  were  not 
those  of  Jervis  or  of  Duncan.  It  is  much  too  old  a 
matter  to  debate  at  this  time  of  day,  but  there  can 
be  no  question  that  Nelson  was  shabbily  treated. 
Parliament  voted  him  and  his  next  two  heirs  male  a 
pension  of  two  thousand  pounds  a  year,  and  he  and 
his  captains  received  a  gold  medal.  The  presents 
were  rich  and  numerous.  By  the  Emperor  Paul  of 
Russia  he  was  presented  with  a  gold  box  set  with 
diamonds ;  from  the  Grand  Signior  came  a  magnifi- 
cent diamond  aigrette  and  a  pelisse  of  sable  fur; 
from  the  Grand  Signior's  mother,  a  box  set  with 
diamonds,  valued  at  a  thousand  pounds  ;  from  the 
King  of  the  two  Sicilies,  a  sword  of  great  historic 
interest,  which  had  been  given  to  the  King  of 
Naples  by  Charles  III.  ;  from  other  sources,  a  gold- 
headed  cane,  another  diamond-mounted  box,  a  gold 
box  and  chain,  a  piece  of  plate,  five  hundred  pounds 
to  purchase  a  piece  of  plate,  and  a  gift  of  ten 
thousand  pounds  from  the  East  India  Company. 
His  old  friend,  Alexander  Davison,  struck  a  medal 
in  gold,  silver,  and  copper  for  the  Admiral,  officers, 
and  men  of  the  squadron,  at  a  cost  to  himself  of  two 
thousand  pounds  ;  but  it  is  hard  to  see  what  partic- 
ular honour  was  to  be  associated  with  a  medal  pre- 
sented by  a  private  individual. 

When  the  news  reached  Naples  the  Queen  fainted 
away.  Lady  Hamilton  likewise  conceived  it  her 
duty  to  swoon.     Her  Majesty  cried,  laughed,  danced, 


1 14  The  Life  of  Horatio  N'elsoti.        [>Et.  39 

and  kissed  everybody  within  reach  of  her.  "  Hip  ! 
Hip  !  "  she  writes  to  Lady  Hamilton,  September  3d, 
"  I  am  wild  with  joy."  Her  children  were  mad  with 
joy.  She  asks  Heaven  to  prosper  a  nation  so  great, 
so  magnanimous,  so  courageous.  Meanwhile,  the 
ships  at  anchor  in  Aboukir  Bay  had  been  repairing 
their  damages  with  all  possible  expedition.  The 
little  island  fortress  was  dismantled  and  the  spot 
christened  Nelson's  Island.  It  was  not  until  the 
morning  of  the  14th  that  the  injured  English  vessels 
with  their  prizes  were  in  a  condition  to  start.  They 
got  under  weigh  in  command  of  Sir  James  Saumarez, 
but  the  prizes  being  rigged  with  jury-masts,  were 
worked  with  incredible  difficulty  out  of  the  bay. 
After  a  very  struggling  passage,  which  lasted  to  the 
middle  of  September,  they  and  their  escort  arrived  at 
Gibraltar.  On  the  road  they  fell  in  with  the  Portu- 
guese squadron, — four  ships  of  seventy-four  guns,  and 
one  of  sixty-four  (British),  with  an  English  fire-ship, 
and  a  Portuguese  brig, — under  the  command  of  the 
Marquis  de  Niza — that  had  been  detached  by  Earl  St. 
Vincent,  off  Cadiz,  to  reinforce  Nelson,  but  that,  hap- 
pily for  his  glory,  had  been  unable  to  join  in  time  to 
participate  in  the  battle.  Read  by  this  light,  there 
is  something  of  irony  surely  in  Nelson's  letter  to  De 
Niza,  dated  the  8th  of  September,  in  which  he  said  : 
"  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  to  me,  and  I  am  sure  it 
must  be  to  your  Excellency,  that  your  squadron  did 
not  join  me  before  the  1st  of  August,  when  not  a 
single  French  ship  would  have  escaped  us." 

It  was  not  until  the  19th  that  Nelson,  in  the  Va7t- 
guard,  accompanied  by  the  Cidloden  and  Alexaftder, 


17981       Rehidance  to  Return  to  Ahiples.        1 1 5 

sailed  for  Naples.  It  has  been  thought  remarkable 
that  he  should  have  abhorred  this  obligation  of  refit- 
ting his  ships  at  Naples,  as  though  he  were  being 
advised  by  some  secret  warning  to  guard  himself 
against  what  was  to  follow  this  new  visit  to  the 
Hamiltons.  But  the  truth  was  that  Nelson,  in 
common  with  most  sailors  who  had  served  in  the 
Mediterranean,  disliked  the  Italians,  though  they 
fought  for  them.  Nelson,  in  an  especial  degree, 
hated  all  foreigners.  Collingwood  in  a  letter  to  his 
wife,  in  speaking  of  the  Queen  of  Naples,  says : 
"  Her  lot  also  has  been  cast  awry,  or  in  the  distri- 
bution of  stations  for  this  world  so  loose  a  morality 
and  such  depravity  of  manners  would  never  have 
been  found  perched  upon  the  throne,  from  whence 
should  issue  the  bright  example  of  all  that  is  good 
and  great."  *  The  gallant,  honest  Troubridge  ab- 
horred the  Court  of  Naples.  "You  must  ex- 
cuse me,"  he  writes  to  Lady  Hamilton  ;  "  I  trust 
nothing  there,  nor  do  I,  or  ever  shall  I,  ask  from 
the  Court  of  Naples  anything  but  for  their  ser- 
vice, and  the  just  demands  I  have  on  them.  I 
feel  their  ill-treatment  and  deep  intrigues  too  much 
ever  to  forget  or  forgive  them."  f  Nelson  wrote  to 
Lord  St.  Vincent  that  he  detested  the  prospect  of 
the  voyage  to  Naples,  and  that  nothing  but  absolute 
necessity  could  force  him  to  the  measure.     He  had 


* "  CoUingwood's  Public  and  Private  Correspondence,"  p.  499. 
July  I,  1804,  Nelson  wrote  to  Lady  Hamilton  of  the  Queen  of 
Naples  :  "  I  doubt  much,  my  dear  Emma,  even  her  constancy  of  real 
friendship  to  you." — "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  vi.,  p.  95. 

f  Pettigrew.     Vol.  i.,  p.  339. 


1 1 6  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t/Et.  39 

been  and  still  was  seriously  ill,  spoke  of  his  head  as 
ready  to  split,  complained  of  incessant  sickness,  also 
of  a  fever  which  he  said  had  very  nearly  done  his 
business,  "  For  eighteen  hours  my  life  was  thought 
to  be  past  hope,"  he  wrote. 

At  Naples  all  was  expectation  and  excitement. 
On  two  ships  of  the  line  heaving  into  view,  a  great 
number  of  boats  went  out  to  meet  them.  The  King 
himself  was  in  his  barge  followed  by  a  boat  full  of 
fiddlers.  There  also  went  Sir  William  and  Lady 
Hamilton  in  a  barge  of  their  own,  likewise  followed 
by  a  band  of  musicians.  It  is  pitiful  to  contrast  these 
cheap  buffoon  effusions  of  gingerbread  Neapolitan 
sentiment  with  the  two  line-of-battle  ships  grim  with 
their  realities  of  recent  magnificent  conflict.  They 
were  the  Ciillodcn  (Troubridge),  and  the  Alexander 
(Ball).  On  board  the  Alexander  were  several  French 
personages,  amongst  them  Admiral  Blanquet.''^  The 
King  of  Naples  declined  to  enter  the  ships,  but  from 
his  barge  saluted  the  officers.  A  number  of  British 
seamen  were  staring  out  of  the  portholes  at  his 
Sicilian  Majesty,  and  at  the  boats  with  their  cargoes 
of  fiddlers,  and  at  Lady  Hamilton.  Sir  William  ex- 
claimed to  them  :  "  My  lads,  that  is  the  King  whom 
you  have  saved,  with  his  family  and  kingdom." 
The   Jacks,  caring  little  about    the  matter,  turned 


*  It  is  recorded  of  Blanquet  that  on  leaving  the  Alexander  at 
Naples  he  called  on  the  French  Consul,  who  exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  how 
delighted  I  am,  my  dear  Admiral,  to  see  you  out  of  the  hands  of  those 
abominable  Englishmen."  Blanquet  answered  :  "  Say  nothing  against 
the  English,  Consul.  They  fight  like  lions,  and  they  have  treated 
me  and  my  officers  and  men  most  kindly." — Miss  Knight.  I.,  I22. 


1798]  Reception  at  Naples.  117 

their  quids,  and   rumbled   out    awkwardly:    "Very 
glad  of  it,  sir — very  glad  of  it." 

The  Vanguard  did  not  arrive  until  the  22d.  This 
was  to  be  a  gala  day,  and  the  beautiful  Bay  of 
Naples  was  radiant  and  flashful  with  innumerable 
barges  and  boats,  with  gaudy  uniforms,  with  flags 
and  banners,  whilst  numberless  bands  of  music  played 
"  God  save  the  King!  "  and  "  Rule  Britannia  !  "  and 
"  See  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes  !  "  Nelson  him- 
self has  told  the  story,  and  his  own  language  in  a 
life  of  him  must  always  be  chosen  in  preference  to 
the  descriptions  of  others.  "  I  must  endeavour," 
he  wrote  to  Lady  Nelson,  "  to  convey  to  you  some- 
thing of  what  passed  ;  but  if  it  were  so  affecting  to 
those  who  were  only  united  to  me  by  bonds  of  friend- 
ship, what  must  it  be  to  my  dearest  wife,  my  friend, 
my  everything  which  is  most  dear  to  me  in  this 
world  ?  Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton  came  out 
to  sea,  attended  by  numerous  boats  with  emblems, 
etc.  They,  my  most  respectable  friends,  had  nearly 
been  laid  up  and  seriously  ill ;  first  from  anxiety  and 
then  from  joy.  It  was  imprudently  told  Lady 
Hamilton,  in  a  moment,  and  the  effect  was  like  a 
shot ;  she  fell  apparently  dead,  and  is  not  yet  per- 
fectly recovered  from  severe  bruises.  Alongside 
came  my  honoured  friends :  the  scene  in  the  boat 
was  terribly  affecting  ;  up  flew  her  Ladyship,  and 
exclaiming  'O  God!  is  it  possible?'  she  fell  into 
my  arm  more  dead  than  alive.  Tears,  however, 
soon  set  matters  to  rights  ;  when  alongside  came  the 
King.  The  scene  was  in  its  way  as  interesting;  he 
took  me  by  the  hand,  calling  me  his  'Deliverer  and 


1 18  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t/Et.  39 

Preserver,'  with  every  other  expression  of  kindness. 
In  short,  all  Naples  calls  me  '  Nostro  Liberatore '  ; 
my  greeting  from  the  lower  classes  was  truly  affect- 
ing. I  hope  some  day  to  have  the  pleasure  of  in- 
troducing you  to  Lady  Hamilton  ;  she  is  one  of  the 
very  best  women  in  this  world  ;  she  is  an  honour  to 
her  sex." 

Mistress  as  she  was  of  attitudes,  it  is  here  mani- 
fest that  Emma  Hamilton  did  not  possess  the  art 
of  falling  down  in  a  faint  without  hurting  herself. 
When  Nelson  writes  of  her  "  as  an  honour  to 
her  sex,"  are  we  to  conceive  that  he  had  any 
knowledge  of  her  past  years,  unless  possibly  her  re- 
lations, before  marriage,  with  old  Sir  William  ? 
It  was  at  least  certain  that,  down  to  the  hour 
of  his  death,  he  believed  that  Horatia  was  her 
only  child.* 

Miss  Knight,  who  went  on  board  the  Vanguard 
on  her  arrival,  relates  the  following  interesting  anec- 
dote. Nelson,  having  conducted  the  King  over  every 
part  of  the  ship,  led  the  way  to  the  cabin,  where  a 
handsome  breakfast  was  prepared.  "  I  remarked," 
says  she,  "  a  little  bird  hopping  about  on  the  table. 
This  bird  had  come  on  board  the  Vanguard  the 
evening  before  the  action,  and  had  remained  in  her 
ever  since.  The  Admiral's  cabin  was  its  chief  resi- 
dence, but  it  was  fed  and  petted  by  all  who  came 
near  it,  for  sailors  regard  the  arrival  of  a  bird  as  a 
promise  of  victory,  or  at  least  as  an  excellent  omen. 


*  See  Nelson's  letter  to  Lady  Hamilton,  March  i,  1801.    Pettigrew. 
II.,  652. 


1798]  At  the  Hamiltons  House.  1 1 9 

It  flew  away,  I  believe,  soon  after  the  ship  reached 
Naples."  * 

Nelson  went  to  the  Hamiltons'  house,  and  was 
nursed  by  Lady  Hamilton.  Her  tender  solicitude, 
sweetened  yet  by  her  admiration,  was  doubtless  ex- 
ceedingly grateful  to  Nelson  after  a  spell  of  rough 
doctoring  aboard  a  man-of-war.  Before  the  windows 
of  Sir  William's  house  stretched  the  magnificent 
scene  of  the  Bay.  At  night  the  full  moon  seemed 
to  rise  from  the  crater  of  Mount  Vesuvius.  Amid 
the  soft  haze  of  moonshine,  filling  the  atmosphere 
over  the  tranquil  waters,  the  lights  of  the  boats 
employed  in  the  tunny  fishery  sparkled  like  con- 
stellations of  fireflies,  and  the  ships  of  war  hung  in 
shadowy  groups  on  the  calm  surface.  There  was 
much  also  to  delight  in  Sir  William's  house  in  collec- 
tions of  pictures  and  of  objects  of  beauty  and  rarity 
and  value.  One  room  was  filled  with  mirrors  so  dis- 
posed as  to  reflect  the  Bay  in  a  broad  expanse  upon 
the  walls.  "  I  am  in  their  house,"  Nelson  wrote  to 
his  wife,  "  and  I  may  now  tell  you  it  required  all  the 
kindness  of  my  friends  to  set  me  up." 

The  flattery  and  honours  heaped  upon  him  at 
Naples  were  not  wanting  in  a  quality  of  buffoonery, 
due  not  a  little  perhaps  to  the  animating  influence 
of  Lady  Hamilton,  whose  taste  carried  her  to  the 
length  of  parading  the  streets  with  a  bandeau  on  her 
forehead,   on   which   were   the   words   "  Nelson  and 

*"  Autobiography,"  i.,  Ii6.  "Admiral  Nelson  is  little,"  Miss 
Knight  writes,  September  22,  1798,  "and  not  remarkable  in  his 
person  either  way  ;  but  he  has  great  animation  of  countenance  and 
activity  in  his  appearance  ;  his  manners  are  unaffectedly  simple  and 
modest." — "Autobiography,"  ii.,  259. 


I20  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        t>Et.  40 

Victory."  Bonfires  and  illuminations  blazed  in  every 
part  of  the  town.  Lady  Hamilton  undertook  the 
celebration  of  Nelson's  birthday  on  the  29th  of  Sep- 
tember. Eighteen  hundred  people  were  entertained. 
There  was  a  rostral  column  erected  under  a  mag- 
nificent canopy,  and  on  it  were  inscribed  the  words  : 
"  Veni  ;  Vidi  ;  Vici."  The  cost  of  this  enter- 
tainment was  two  thousand  ducats.  Nelson  wrote 
to  his  wife  about  Lady  Hamilton's  preparations  with 
almost  childish  glee.  "  The  preparations  of  Lady 
Hamilton,"  he  says,  "  for  celebrating  my  birthday 
to-morrow  are  enough  to  fill  me  with  vanity  ;  every 
ribband,  every  button  has  '  Nelson,'  etc.  The  whole 
service  is  marked  '  H.  N.  Glorious  1st  of  August  !  ' 
Songs  and  sonnctti  are  numerous  beyond  what  I  ever 
could  have  deserved."  The  Court  of  Naples  was  in 
mourning  at  this  time,  but  the  crape  was  laid  aside  in 
honour  of  Nelson.  The  fete,  however,  was  slightly 
marred  by  the  behaviour  of  Josiah  Nisbet.  It  is  said 
that  he  was  intoxicated  ;  his  behaviour,  at  all  events, 
to  Nelson  was  so  very  offensive  that  Troubridge  and 
another  ofificer  put  him  out  of  the  room.  Pettigrevv 
says  that  Nelson  was  afterwards  reconciled  to  his 
step-son  by  the  intervention  of  Sir  William  and  Lady 
Hamilton.  The  occasion  of  his  insolence,  perhaps, 
was  rather  Lady  Hamilton  than  wine.  Viewing 
her  ladyship  with  his  mother's  eyes,  he  might  have 
resented  the  amiable,  admiring  glances  old  Sir 
William's  wife  bestowed  upon  the  Hero  of  the  Nile, 
and  the  ill-dissembled  delight  the  Hero  felt  in  receiv- 
ing or  returning  them.  Nelson  had  already  made  too 
much  of  these  "respectable"  friends,  and  more  par- 


1798]  Lady  Nelso7is  Uneasiness.  121 

ticularly  of  the  woman  who  "  is  an  honour  to  her  sex," 
to  please  either  Josiah  or  Josiah's  mother.  In  the 
beginning  of  October  he  tells  his  wife  :  "  The  Grand 
Signior  has  ordered  me  a  valuable  diamond  ;  if  it 
were  worth  a  million,  my  pleasure  would  be  to  see  it 
in  your  possession.  My  pride  is  being  your  hus- 
band, the  son  of  my  dear  father,  and  in  having  Sir 
William  and  Lady  Hamilton  for  my  friends."  Lady 
Nelson,  to  whom  Lady  Hamilton's  antecedents  were 
doubtless  known,  might  reasonably  wonder  at  the 
bracketing  of  Sir  William  and  his  wife  with  herself 
and  the  Reverend  Edmund.  There  was  also  Josiah 
at  Naples  to  give  her  the  news  ;  yet  it  is  not  until 
the  7th  of  December  this  year,  that  we  hear  of  Lady 
Nelson's  uneasiness.  It  is  conveyed  in  a  letter  from 
Alexander  Davison  to  Nelson  :  "  Your  valuable 
better-half  writes  to  you.  She  is  in  good  health, 
but  very  uneasy  and  anxious,  which  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at.  She  sets  off  with  the  good  old  man 
to-morrow  for  Bath.  .  .  .  Lady  Nelson  this 
moment  calls  and  is  with  my  wife.  She  bids  me  say 
that  unless  you  return  home  in  a  few  months  she 
will  join  the  Standard  at  Naples.  Excuse  a  woman's 
tender  feelings — they  are  too  acute  to  be  expressed."  * 
Yet,  in  spite  of  fetes  and  bandeaux  and  buttons  and 
rostral  columns,  Nelson,  on  the  day  following  his 
birthday,  could  write  thus  to  Lord  St.  Vincent :  *'  I 
am  very  unwell,  and  the  miserable  conduct  of  the 
Court    is    not    likely  to    cool    my   irritable    temper. 

It   is  a  country  of   fiddlers  and  poets,  and 

scoundrels."  f 

*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  iii.,  138. 
f  Clarke  and  M 'Arthur.     II.,  151. 


CHAPTER   X. 

State  of  tlie  Kingdom  of  Naples — 
Precious    time    wasted  —  Malta 
taken  by  the  French — Saumarez 
at    Valetta  —  General    Mack  — 
Treachery  of  Neapolitan  officers 
— Flight  of  the  King  and  Queen 
from  Naples — The  voyage  to  Palermo — In- 
fluence of  Lady  Hamilton  over  Nelson — The 
"  Vesuvian  "  Republic — Captain  Foote  and 
the  rebel  capitulation — Cardinal  Ruffo. 

HE  state  of  the  Kingrdom  of  Naples 
at  this  time  has  been  happily  des- 
cribed by  Southey.  He  shows  us 
a  King  with  an  Irish  squireen's  love  of  field-sports, 
and  without  taste  for  or  interest  in  anything  else ; 
a  Queen  possessed  of  all  the  vices  of  the  House 
of  Austria,  concerned  alone  in  her  pleasures,  which 
must  be  supported,  no  matter  how  the  revenue  was 
raised  or  administered ;  and  a  Court  filled  with 
knaves  and  intriguers.  The  mass  of  the  people  be- 
lieved that  outside  of  France  there  was  no  hope  for 
their  country.  No  government  they  thought,  could 
be  worse  than  their  own,  and  any  sort  of  change,  no 
matter  how  contrived,  must  prove  beneficial.  A  revo- 
lution was  desired  by  many  even  of  the  nobles,  who 
wished  for  the  power  to  which  they  thought  them- 
selves entitled  ;  but  there  were  others  who  joined  in 
the  cause  of  liberty  from  tlie  purest  and  noblest  mo- 


1798-99]    State  of  the  Kingdom  of  A^aples.         123 

tives.  It  was  England's  nnisfortunc  that  it  should  fall 
to  her  lot  to  bolster  up  one  of  the  most  abominable  of 
European  governments.  But  hatred  is  a  stronger  emo- 
tion than  contempt.  The  French  were  first  of  all  to 
be  abhorred,  and  their  project  for  revolutionising 
Naples  must  be  thwarted  if  there  was  any  virtue  left 
in  the  language  of  British  cannon.  All,  however, 
that  had  to  be  done  was  to  be  the  work  of  the 
British  only.  The  King  of  Naples  was  scarcely  to 
be  insulted  into  defiance  or  resentment.  Nelson  told 
him  to  draw  his  sword  and  lead  the  way,  or  remain 
quiet  and  be  kicked  out  of  his  kingdom.  "  The 
King,"  says  Southey,  "  made  answer  he  would  go  on 
and  trust  in  God  and  Nelson  ;  and  Nelson,  who  would 
have  else  returned  to  Egypt  for  the  purpose  of  de- 
stroying the  French  shipping  in  Alexandria,  gave  up 
his  intention  at  the  desire  of  the  Neapolitan  Court,  and 
resolved  to  remain  on  that  station  in  the  hope  that  he 
might  be  useful  to  the  movements  of  the  army,"  * 

It  was  the  intolerable  procrastination  of  the  Court 
of  Naples  that  enraged  Nelson.  He  believed  that 
amongst  the  Sicilians  there  were  a  very  great  num- 
ber loyal  to  their  sovereign,  animated  besides  by 
a  passionate  eagerness  for  war  against  the  French  ; 
and  understanding  that  the  King  had  an  army 
of  soldiers  ready  to  march  into  a  country  anxious 
to  receive  them,  he  was  astonished  and  indignant 
that  week  after  week  should  be  suffered  to  roll  by 
without  anything  being  done.  "  What  precious 
moments,"  he  writes,  in  a  letter  to  Lord  St.  Vincent, 
"  the  two  Courts  are  losing;!     Three  months  would 


*  Southey's  "  Life  of  Nelson." 


124  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  40 

liberate  Italy  ;  this  Court  is  so  enervated  that  the 
happy  moment  will  be  lost,"  Malta,  by  deputation, 
was  offered  to  the  King,  but,  as  Nelson  complains, 
the  Government  would  not  stir.  It  was  expected 
that  the  English  would  take  the  island  for  the  King 
of  Naples,  and  the  Neapolitans,  in  that  sure  convic- 
tion, were  quite  satisfied  to  go  on  dancing  and  iid- 
dlin<j  and  sunnincf  themselves.  The  instructions  at 
this  time  coming  to  Nelson  through  Lord  St.  Vin- 
cent from  the  Admiralty  were  :  that  the  objects  to  be 
held  in  view  by  the  squadron  comprise,  inter  alia, 
the  protection  of  the  coasts  of  Sicily,  Naples,  and  the 
Adriatic  ;  an  active  co-operation  with  the  Austrian 
and  Neapolitan  armies  should  war  be  renewed  in 
Italy  ;  and  the  blockading  of  Malta  to  prevent  pro- 
visions from  being  sent  into  it.  It  w'as  to  Malta 
that  Nelson  now  addressed  himself.  In  1792  the 
French  Government  had  decreed  that  the  Order  of 
St.  John  at  Malta  should  be  annulled,  and  its  prop- 
erty annexed.  The  estates  were  immediately  seized, 
many  of  the  Knights  imprisoned,  and  those  who 
escaped  were  proscribed.  On  the  6th  of  June, 
1798,  a  division  of  the  French  fleet,  consisting  of  a 
few  frigates  and  a  number  of  transports,  arrived  ofT 
Malta,  and  the  commodore  in  command,  professing 
neutrality,  asked  and  obtained  such  assistance  as  he 
required.  But  three  days  later  the  rest  of  the  Tou- 
lon fleet  approached.  Buonaparte,  who  was  in  com- 
mand, demanded  that  the  whole  fleet  and  convoy 
should  have  free  entry  to  all  the  ports.  This  was 
refused  by  the  Grand  Master,  whereupon  the  French 
landed    15,000  troops  at    St.  George's   Bay,   to  the 


NELSON'S    MONUMENT,  ST.   PAUL'C,   LONDON. 


1798-99]    The  French  in  Possession  of  Malta.   1 2  5 

northwest  of  Valetta,  and  took  possession  of  the 
place  after  a  single  shot  had  been  fired.  Before 
Buonaparte  sailed  on  the  19th  Malta  was  in  posses- 
sion of  the  French. 

In  September  came  news  to  the  island  of  Nelson's 
victory  at  Aboukir.  The  Maltese  rose  against  their 
despoilers,  but  the  insurrection  was  suppressed.  They 
then  appealed  to  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies  as  their 
sovereign  for  protection.  On  the  i8th  of  Septem- 
ber Valetta  was  blockaded  by  four  Portuguese  men- 
of-war  and  two  frigates  under  the  command  of  the 
Marquis  de  Niza,  the  Sicilian  Admiral,  with  whom 
was  Captain  Ball  in  the  Alexander.  It  was  not, 
however,  until  the  middle  of  the  following  month 
that  Nelson  sailed  for  Malta  from  Naples.  On  the 
25th  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  French  general 
commanding  in  the  town  of  Valetta,  in  which  he  put 
the  situation  and  his  own  demands  thus  :  "  That  the 
inhabitants  are  in  possession  of  all  the  Island  except 
the  town  of  Valetta,  which  is  in  your  possession  ; 
that  the  islanders  are  in  arms  against  you  ;  and  that 
the  Port  is  blockaded  by  a  Squadron  belonging  to 
His  Britannic  Majesty.  My  objects  are  to  assist  the 
good  People  of  Malta  in  forcing  you  to  abandon  the 
Island,  that  it  may  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  its 
Sovereign,  and  to  get  possession  of  Le  Guillaiune 
Tell,  Diane,  and  Justice.''  He  added  that,  on  the 
delivery  of  the  ships  to  him,  the  troops  and  seamen 
would  be  landed  in  France  without  being  regarded 
as  prisoners  of  war.  On  the  30th  the  little  island  of 
Gozo  capitulated  to  Captain  Ball.  Meanwhile  the 
French   under   General  Vaubois  held  the  town   of 


126  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>ct.  40 

Valetta  and  port  of  Malta.  But  for  Saumarez  the 
Maltese  would  have  been  without  arms  and  ammu- 
nition. On  the  passage  to  Gibraltar  with  the  prizes 
captured  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  Saumarez,  whilst 
becalmed  off  Malta,  supplied  the  islanders  with 
twelve  hundred  stands  of  arms,  ball-cartridges,  and 
cartouche  boxes.  He  had  also  summoned  the  French 
garrison  in  Valetta  to  surrender,  but  after  three  hours' 
consideration  the  General  had  sent  word  that  "  they 
are  Frenchmen  who  are  at  Malta,"  adding  "  Quant  a 
votre  somviation,  les  Franqois  I' entendent pas  ce  styled 
Nelson  was  filled  with  indignation  on  finding  that 
the  Sicilian  Government  had  failed  to  keep  a  prom- 
ise emphatically  made  to  him,  that  supplies  of  arms, 
etc.,  should  be  sent  to  the  Maltese,  and  wrote  warmly 
to  Sir  William  Hamilton  :  "  The  total  neglect  and  in- 
difference with  which  they  (the  islanders)  have  been 
treated  appear  to  me  cruel  in  the  extreme."  He  had, 
however,  promised  the  King  of  Naples  to  return  in 
the  first  week  in  November.  The  Court  trembled 
during  his  absence.  At  any  moment  might  come 
the  obligation  of  precipitate  flight,  and  the  King, 
Queen,  and  the  others  of  the  Royal  Family  could  not 
enjoy  an  easy  moment  unless  Nelson's  colours  were 
flying  at  his  mast-head  within  reach  of  a  few  strokes 
of  the  oar  from  Naples. 

But  now  the  King  was  to  draw  his  sword  !  When 
Ferdinand  went  on  board  the  Vanguard,  on  her  re- 
turn from  the  Nile,  he  told  Nelson  that  he  heartily 
wished  he  had  been  at  the  battle  of  Aboukir  that 
he  might  have  fought  under  him.  An  opportunity 
had  come  to  enable  him  to  justify  his  pretensions 
as  a  man  of  courage.     Thirty-five   thousand  brill- 


1798-99]     Treachery  of  Neapolitan  Officers.        1 2  7 

iantly  accoutred  men  of  the  Sicilies  had  been 
raised,  and  the  King  was  himself  to  lead  the  glit- 
tering army  against  the  French.  It  had  been  as 
well  had  he  stopped  at  home.  He  entered  Rome 
in  triumph — a  cheap  triumph! — but  very  swiftly 
news  arrived  of  the  foe's  return — and  his  Majesty 
fled !  Mack,  the  Austrian  general,  was  in  com- 
mand. Of  this  man  Southey  says  that  "  all  that  is 
now  doubtful  concerning  him  is  whether  he  was  a 
coward  or  a  traitor."  Nelson  thoroughly  distrusted 
him.  "General  Mack,"  he  says,  "cannot  move  with- 
out five  carriages.  I  have  formed  my  opinion.  I 
heartily  pray  I  may  be  mistaken."  Mack  was  prob- 
ably more  fool  than  either  coward  or  traitor.  Hoste 
declares  that  most  of  his  officers  had  been  bribed  by 
the  French,  and  that  the  Neapolitan  soldiers,  finding 
themselves  betrayed  on  all  sides,  disgusted  and  dis- 
heartened, threw  down  their  arms  to  a  man.*  He 
tells  us  that  General  St.  Philip,  commanding  a  divi- 
sion of  nineteen  thousand  men,  fell  in  with  three 
thousand  of  the  enemy  and  deserted  to  them.  As 
the  villain  galloped  off  a  Neapolitan  soldier  shot  at 
and  wounded  him  in  the  arm  ;  but  the  injury  was 
not  severe  enough  to  prevent  him  from  joining  with 
the  French  in  pursuit  of  his  own  countrymen ! 

The  King  returned  to  Naples,  and  the  story  that 
follows  is  one  of  riot  and  assassination.  Captain 
Ball  had  been  left  to  blockade  Malta  by  Nelson, 
who,  on  the  28th  of  November,  arrived  off  Leghorn 
with  a  small  squadron,  accompanied  by  some  Por- 
tuguese  ships.       On    his    summoning   the    town    it 

*  Sir  William  Hoste's  "  Memoirs  and  LeUers,"  vol.  i.,  p.  113. 


1 28  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  40 

yielded,  but  the  Neapolitan  fiasco  rendered  this 
naval  expedition  entirely  fruitless.  He  returned  to 
Naples  on  the  5th  of  December,  and  a  few  days  later 
the  King  arrived.  On  the  20th  certain  "  most  secret  " 
orders  were  issued  by  Nelson  respecting  the  evacua- 
tion of  Naples.  Three  barges  and  a  small  cutter, 
armed  with  cutlasses  only,  were  to  be  at  "  The  Vic- 
toria" at  half-past  seven  precisely.  One  barge  was  to 
be  at  the  wharf,  the  rest  to  lie  on  their  oars  hard  by. 
Other  boats  of  the  Vanguard  and  Alcmena,  under 
the  direction  of  Captain  Hardy,  armed  with  cutlasses 
and  carronades,  were  to  put  off  from  the  flagship  at 
half-past  eight,  each  boat  having  four  or  six  soldiers 
in  her.  This  flight  of  their  Sicilian  Majesties  is  one 
of  the  most  romantic  passages  in  the  Nelson  annals. 
Southey  claims  for  Lady  Hamilton  that  she  had  the 
chief  hand  in  the  business,  and  worked  like  a  heroine 
in  a  novel.  She  assisted,  indeed,  but  she  contriv^ed 
or  dictated  nothing.  The  neatest  stroke  of  her  share 
in  the  escape,  she  herself  communicated:  "I  had, 
on  the  night  of  our  embarkation,  to  attend  the  party 
given  by  Kelim  Effendi,  who  was  sent  by  the  Grand 
Signior  to  Naples  to  present  Nelson  with  a  chclongJi 
or  Plume  of  Triumph !  I  had  to  steal  from  the 
party,  leaving  our  carriages  and  equipage  waiting 
at  his  house,  and  in  about  fifteen  minutes  to  be 
at  my  post,  where  it  was  my  task  to  conduct  the 
Royal  Family  through  the  subterraneous  passage  to 
Nelson's  boats,  by  that  moment  waiting  for  us  on  the 
shore."*  Precipitate  as  was  the  Royal  flight,  the 
fugitives  managed  to  heap  his  Britannic  Majesty's 

*  Pettigrew.     II.,  619. 


1798-991        Flight  of  the  Royal  Family.  129 

ship  Vanguard  with  bullion,  antiquities,  works  of 
art  and  the  like,  to  the  value  of  twenty  million 
ducats.  King  Ferdinand  and  his  Queen  and  family 
arrived  on  board  Nelson's  ship  at  nine  P.M.  on  the 
2 1st  of  December.  With  them  were  Sir  William 
and  Lady  Hamilton,  a  number  of  the  Neapolitan 
nobility  and  their  servants,  and  several  English  gen- 
tlemen. When  all  were  safe  on  board.  Nelson  gave 
notice  that  British  residents  would  be  protected  on 
English  vessels,  and  that  French  emigrants  would 
find  an  asylum  in  two  ships  hired  by  Sir  William 
Hamilton.  All  the  Neapolitan  vessels  were  ordered 
out  of  the  Mole,  and  instructions  given  for  certain 
ships  of  war  to  be  burned,  that  they  might  not  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  story  of  the  voyage  to  Palermo  was  long 
afterwards  related  by  Captain,  subsequently  Admiral, 
W.  H.  Smyth,  known  as  the  author  of  a  voluminous 
dictionary  of  the  marine.  "  The  Vanguard^'  he 
says  "  weighed  on  the  evening  of  Monday  the  24th 
[23d?]  and  was  followed  by  the  Archimedes^  a  Nea- 
politan 74,  a  corvette,  and  about  twenty  sail  of 
merchantmen."  On  board  all  was  confusion  and 
wretchedness.  The  wind  at  the  start  was  easterly, 
but  hardly  had  the  island  of  Capri  been  cleared 
when  it  came  on  to  blow  heavily  from  the  westwards. 
A  high  sea  was  set  running,  and  the  Vanguard 
labored  as  a  ship  of  her  beam  and  length  and 
general  craziness  would  know  how.  The  Italians  and 
foreigners  exhausted  their  throats  in  lamentations 
and  in  appeals  to  the  Virgin  and  saints.  At  half- 
past  one  in  the  morning  a  blast  of  wind  blew  the 
9 


1 30  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        [^t.  40 

liner's  close-reefed  topsails  out  of  the  bolt-ropes. 
The  consternation  was  universal.  The  Royal 
Party  now  persuaded  themselves  that  they  had  only 
escaped  butchery  on  shore  to  perish  miserably  of 
drowning  at  sea.  Etiquette  decreased  as  fear  rose, 
and  in  the  Admiral's  crowded  cabin  all  distinction 
was  at  an  end.  Nelson,  who  constantly  suffered 
from  nausea  in  heavy  weather,  was  exceedingly  per- 
plexed to  know  what  to  do.  Lady  Hamilton,  who 
was  apparently  a  good  sailor,  was  of  much  use  in 
soothing  and  waiting.  Her  old  instincts  as  a  nurse- 
maid were  no  doubt  lively  in  her,  when,  later  on, 
she  hung  over  the  little  Prince  Albert,  who,  having 
been  taken  ill  in  the  morning,  died  in  her  arms  on 
the  evening  of  the  25th.  "  During  the  height  of  the 
gale,"  says  Smyth,  "  when  Lady  Hamilton  could 
think  of  nothing  more  wherewith  to  console  the 
desponding  Queen,  she  looked  around  for  Sir  Will- 
iam, who  was  not  to  be  found.  At  length  it  was 
discovered  that  he  had  withdrawn  to  his  sleeping 
cabin  and  was  sitting  there  with  a  loaded  pistol  in 
each  hand.  Li  answer  to  her  ladyship's  exclamation 
of  surprise,  he  calmly  told  her  that  he  was  resolved 
not  to  die  with  a  'guggle — guggle — guggle  '  of  the 
salt  water  in  his  throat ;  and  therefore  he  was  pre- 
pared as  soon  as  he  felt  the  ship  sinking  to  shoot 
himself." 

It  scarcely  needed  the  affliction  of  the  death  of  a 
child  to  heighten  the  misery  of  the  King  and  Queen. 
Palermo  was  reached  on  the  26th,  and  at  five  A.M. 
Nelson  attended  the  Queen  and  Princesses  on  shore. 
The  Queen's  grief  would  not  suffer  her  to  leave  the 


1798-99]         Lady  Hamilton  s  Influence.  131 

ship  publicly,  but  Ferdinand's  sensibility  was  less 
keen ;  and  after  a  substantial  breakfast,  he  landed  at 
nine  o'clock  amid  the  cheers  of  an  apparently  well- 
meaning  crowd. 

The  biographer  of  Nelson  must  needs  dwell  upon 
these  Mediterranean  experiences  of  the  Hero  at  this 
time  ;  but  the  task  is  not  an  agreeable  one.  To  Eng- 
lish sympathies  nothing  in  history  can  be  much  more 
distressing  than  the  spectacle  of  Britain's  noble, 
generous,  simple,  and  single-hearted  Sailor  associated 
with  the  Court  of  Naples,  living  in  an  atmosphere  of 
lies  and  deceit,  hating  and  yet  enduring  his  obligation 
of  protection  largely  for  the  sake,  it  must  inevitably 
be  admitted,  of  Lady  Hamilton.  Nelson's  Sicilian 
zeal  was  her  anxiety,  and  her  anxiety  was  the  cheap 
ambition  of  a  vain,  low-born,  unprincipled  woman, 
to  maintain  her  connection  with  the  "  adorable " 
Queen,  who  perfectly  understood  her,  who  merely 
employed  her  as  a  tool,  and  who,  as  her  subse- 
quent treatment  of  her  proved,  despised  her  all  the 
while  she  was  writing  to  her  as  "  my  dear  friend," 
pledging  herself  to  love  her  forever,  and  so  on.  St. 
Vincent  wrote  of  this  Queen  in  the  language  of  an 
old  man  who  labours  hard  in  the  direction  of  admira- 
tion and  who  says  too  much  to  render  his  sincerity 
convincing ;  but  Lord  Keith,  when  he  took  St. 
Vincent's  place,  sent  a  shrewd  Scotch  glance  at 
their  Sicilian  Majesties,  and  formed  the  conclusion 
which  assuredly  had  been  come  to  by  others  in  the 
Service,  by  Troubridge  certainly,  and  by  the  gentle- 
manly Ball  also:  namely,  that  Nelson  was  much 
too  enthusiastic  in  the  interpretation  of  his  instruc- 


132  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7i.         [^t.  40 

tions  with  regard  to  the  Court  of  Naples,  and  that 
he  was  disposed  to  employ  his  Majesty's  ships  much 
more  than  the  occasions  might  demand  in  the  serv- 
ice of  the  Queen. 

Whilst  Nelson  was  at  Palermo  he  urged  the 
Sicilian  Government  to  place  the  island  in  as  com- 
plete a  state  of  defence  as  was  practicable.  Troops 
were  assembled,  and  Nelson  himself  superintended 
the  fitting  out  of  some  gunboats  and  the  mounting 
of  batteries  with  guns  which  had  been  brought  from 
Naples.  In  March  he  detached  Troubridge  with  a 
squadron  of  four  74's,  a  frigate,  and  some  bomb- 
vessels,  together  with  a  Portuguese  74  to  blockade 
the  port  of  Naples.  Troubridge  took  possession  of 
Procida  and  the  Sicilian  King's  colours  were  hoisted 
by  the  inhabitants.  Next  day  the  same  colours 
were  hoisted  at  Ischia  and  Capri ;  and  the  rest 
pf  the  Ponza  Islands  followed  the  example  of  Pro- 
cida.* Meanwhile  at  Naples  there  had  been  a  des- 
perate slaughter  of  the  loyal,  or  at  least  French- 
hating,  lazzaroni,  who  in  the  conflicts  of  January 
had  been  butchered  in  thousands  by  those  French 
who  approached  them  only  to  furnish  them  with 
liberty  and  to  establish  their  happiness !  By  the 
23d  of  that  month  Naples  was  held  by  Cham- 
pionet's  troops.  A  provisional  government  was 
established  to  administer  the  affairs  of  what  was 
to  be  named  the  Parthenopeian  Republic.  Nelson 
happily  termed  it  the  "  Vesuvian  Republic."  But 
discontents  swiftly  followed  ;  the  rapacity  of  the 
French  grew  hourly  more  and  more  unendurable. 

*  James.  II.,  306. 


1798-99]   Anxiety  to  Meet  the  French  Fleet.       133 

There  were  at  first  a  few  fruitless  risings ;  but  the 
revolts  in  Calabria  and  Apulia  brought  prominently 
on  the  stage  Cardinal  Ruffo,  who,  in  command  of 
15,000  men,  dealt  some  desperate  blows  to  the  dis- 
ciplined troops  of  the  Parthenopeian  Republic. 
Meanwhile  the  French  were  suffering  reverses  in  the 
north  of  Italy,  and  orders  were  received  by  Mac- 
donald,  who  had  succeeded  Championet,  to  with- 
draw from  Naples  into  Lombardy. 

It  was  on  the  I2th  of  May,  whilst  Nelson  was 
lying  at  Palermo,  that  news  reached  him  of  thirty- 
five  sail  of  French  men-of-war  having  passed  the 
Straits.  He  immediately  sent  for  Troubridge,  who 
was  in  Naples  Bay,  to  come  to  Palermo  with  the 
whole  of  his  line-of-battle  ships.  He  also  communi- 
cated with  Captain  Ball,  who  was  at  Malta  with  the 
Alexander  and  Goliath.  "  Should  you  come  upwards 
without  a  battle,"  he  wrote  to  Lord  St.  Vincent, 
"  I  hope  in  that  case  you  will  afford  me  an  opportu- 
nity of  joining  you ;  for  my  heart  would  break  to  be 
near  my  commander-in-chief  and  not  assisting  him 
at  such  a  time."  With  such  force  as  he  could 
assemble,  he  got  under  way  and  cruised  for  several 
days.  He  then  returned  to  Palermo,  and  having 
mustered  a  fleet  of  sixteen  sail-of-the-line,  he  sailed 
for  a  cruise  on  and  off  the  coast  of  Sicily ;  but 
neither  the  French  nor  the  Spanish  fleets  were  to 
be  met  with. 

When  Troubridge  had  been  withdrawn,  the  block- 
ade of  the  port  of  Naples  devolved  upon  Captain 
Foote  of  the  Seahorse,  a  thirty-eight  gun  frigate. 
The  defeat  of  the  French  by  Cardinal  Ruffo,  on  the 


134  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t/Et.  40 


5th  of  June,  led  to  the  capitulation  to  the  Seahorse 
and  squadron  of  the  fortified  rock  of  Rivigliano  and 
of  Castel-a-Mare.     On  the  17th,  Foote  proceeded  to 
attack  Castel-del'Uovo,  which,  with  Castel  Nuovo, 
formed  the  principal  sea  defence  of  the  capital.     St.' 
Elmo  and  these  two  forts  were  now  the  only  strong- 
holds possessed  by  the  French  in  that  neighbourhood. 
On  the  1 8th,  Captain  Foote  offered  to  the  comman- 
dant and  garrison  of  the  Castel-del'Uovo  an  asylum 
under  the  British  flag.     An  insolent  reply  was  re- 
turned—insolent in  terms  at  least  :    "  We  desire  the 
Republic   one   and   indivisible:   we   will   die    for   it. 
There  is  your  answer.  Away  with  you,  citizen  ;  quick, 
quick  !  "     On  this,  Foote  communicated  to  Cardinal 
Ruffo  his  intention   of   immediately  attacking  the 
fort.     The   Cardinal  acquiesced,   but    on    the    19th, 
when  the  naval  attack  had  begun,  he  sent  a  letter  to 
Foote  asking  him  to  cease  hostilities.     Next  day  a 
plan  of  capitulation,  signed  by  the  Cardinal  and  the 
chief  of  the  Russians,  then  serving  with  the  Neapoli- 
tan Royalists,  was  sent  to  Foote  with  the  request 
that  he  would  affix  his  signature  to  it.     Two  days 
later  the  capitulation  for  the  forts  of  Nuovo  and  del' 
Uovo  was  formally  signed  by  Ruffo,  by  the  Russian 
as  well  as  Turkish  commanders,   and   by  Foote  as 
representing  the  British.     The  terms  were,  that  the 
two  garrisons,  formed  mainly  of   Neapolitan  Revo- 
lutionists, should   march    out  with  the  honours   of 
war,  and  that  private  property  should  be  respected. 
There  were  also  minor  conditions.* 
_0n  the  morning  of  the  24th,  Nelson  sailed  into 
*  James.     II.,  309. 


1798-99]       Annulling  the  Capitulation.  135 

the  bay  in  the  Foiidroyant,  in  which  vessel  were  the 
Hereditary  Prince,  and  Sir  WiUiam  and  Lady  Ham- 
ilton. With  him  were  sixteen  sail-of-the-line  and  a 
reduced  sixty-four-gun  ship.  He  had  heard  of  the 
capitulation  of  the  two  castles  whilst  off  Ischia,  and 
now  entered  the  bay  flying  signals  intimating  the 
annulment  of  the  truce.  The  flag  was  at  once 
hauled  down  aboard  the  Seahorse.  On  the  following 
day  the  rebel  garrisons  were  informed  by  Nelson 
that  he  would  not  permit  them  to  quit  the  castles: 
"  They  must  surrender  themselves  to  his  Majesty's 
Royal  mercy."  On  the  26th,  he  took  possession  of 
the  forts,  and  the  soldiers  were  detained  as  prisoners 
until  the  arrival  of  King  Ferdinand  on  the  9th  of 
July,  when  they  were  given  up  to  the  Neapolitan 
Government. 

Whether  Nelson  was  justified  in  annulling  the 
capitulation  entered  into  by  Ruffo,  who  commanded 
the  Royalist  forces,  and  by  Foote,  who  acted  as  the 
representative  of  the  British,  is  much  too  stale  and 
worn-out  a  topic  to  be  here  considered.  There  must 
always  be  many  who  will  hold  with  the  lawyers  that 
a  man  is  bound  by  the  acts  of  his  own  agent.  Nor 
should  it  be  forgotten  that  Nelson  held  the  word  of 
a  British  captain  an  inviolable  thing.  "  I  can  assure 
you,  Sir,"  he  wrote  to  a  Spanish  nobleman,  "  that 
the  word  of  honour  of  every  Captain  of  a  British 
man-of-war  is  equal,  not  only  to  mine,  but  to  that  of 
any  person  in  Europe,  however  elevated  his  rank."* 
Cardinal  Ruffo  went  on  board  the  Foudroyant  to  a 
salute  of  thirteen  guns  to  reason  and  remonstrate. 

♦  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  vi.,  p.  46. 


136  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  40 

Nelson  could  not  communicate  his  mind  in  Italian, 
and  the  Cardinal  had  no  English.  Sir  William 
Hamilton  interpreted  till  he  nearly  fainted  with 
fatigue,  but  the  voluble  Cardinal  was  not  to  be  con- 
vinced, and  Sir  William,  worn  out,  flung  himself  into 
a  chair,  filled  with  disgust  and  distress.  Lady  Ham- 
ilton then  undertook  the  laborious  work  of  trans- 
lating, but  to  no  purpose.  Like  Johnson's  "  female 
atheist,"  Ruffo  was  the  man  to  "  talk  you  dead." 
At  last  Nelson  gave  up,  and  seizing  a  pen  wrote  the 
following  :  "  Rear-Admiral  Lord  Nelson,  who  arrived 
in  the  Bay  of  Naples  on  the  24th  of  June  with  the 
British  fleet,  found  a  treaty  entered  into  with  the 
rebels,  which  he  is  of  opinion  ought  not  to  be  carried 
into  execution  without  the  approbation  of  his  Sicil- 
ian Majesty — the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent — Lord  Keith." 
This  decisive  scrawl  terminated  the  interview  with 
the  Cardinal,  whom  Nelson  used  to  call  "  the  Great 
Devil  who  commanded  the  Christian  army." 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Caracciolo  —  His    trial 
and   execution — Re- 
appearance    of     the 
body — Nelson's  gifts 
to   his  family — Fes- 
tivities— Nelson's  devotion  to  the  Sicilian 
Court — Sir  Sidney  Smith — Captain  Ball  at 
Malta — Troubridge's  hatred  of  the  Court  of 
Naples. 


EANWHILE  there  had  been  a 
price  set  on  the  head  of  Fran- 
cesco Caracciolo.  This  man 
belonged  to  one  of  the  most 
noble  families  in  Naples.  He 
had  been  a  Commodore  in  the 
Neapolitan  navy,  and  had  honourably  served  against 
the  French.  On  the  establishment  of  the  short-lived 
Parthenopeian  Republic  an  edict  was  published  that 
the  estates  of  all  persons  who  did  not  return  to 
Naples  would  be  forfeited.  Caracciolo  was  then  at 
Palermo  ;  he  obtained  the  King's  permission  to  re- 
turn, and  shortly  afterwards  joined  the  Republican 
naval  forces  acting  against  the  King  and  his  allies. 
On  the  recovery  of  Naples  he  applied  to  Cardinal 
Ruffo  for  protection,  claiming  it  on  the  ground  of 

137 


138  The  Life  0/  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.40 

forty  years  of  faithful  services.  This  being  refused 
him,  he  fled  to  the  mountains,  but  was  captured  dis- 
guised as  a  peasant,  and  on  the  29th  of  June,  early  in 
the  morning,  was  brought  alongside  the  Foudroyant. 
Parsons  has  described  the  scene.*  He  was  signal 
mate  to  Nelson,  and  Caracciolo  was  placed  under 
his  charge.  "  He  was  a  short,  thick-set  man  of 
apparent  strength,  but  haggard  w^ith  misery  and 
want;  his  clothing  in  wretched  condition,  but  his 
countenance  denoting  stern  resolution  to  endure 
that  misery  like  a  man.  He  spoke  a  short  sentence 
to  me  in  pure  English  as  if  perfectly  master  of  the 
language."  Clarke  and  M'Arthur  represent  the  unfor- 
tunate man  as  arriving  on  deck  with  his  hands  bound 
behind  him,  and  Captain  Hardy  had  "the  utmost 
difficulty  in  restraining  the  insults  and  violence  of  the 
Neapolitan  Royalists  towards  him."  Hardy  ordered 
him  to  be  unbound  and  treated  with  the  attention  his 
rank  entitled  him  to.  Caracciolo  arrived  alongside 
the  Foudroyant  at  nine  A.M.  By  ten  o'clock  there  had 
assembled  in  the  British  flagship  a  court-martial  com- 
posed of  Neapolitan  naval  officers  with  Commodore 
Count  Thurn  at  their  head,  and  Caracciolo  was  at 
once  put  upon  his  trial.  Within  two  hours  sentence 
of  death  was  passed  upon  him,  and  Nelson  issued  an 
order  for  him  to  be  executed  by  hanging  at  the 
yard-arm  that  day  on  board  the  Neapolitan  frigate 
Minerva,  Count  Thurn's  ship.  Death  the  unhappy 
man  did  not  fear,  but  the  disgrace  of  being  hanged 
was  dreadful  to  him.  He  implored  Lieutenant  Park- 
inson of  the  Foudroyant  to  entreat  Nelson  to  grant 

*  "  Nclsonian  Reminiscences." 


1799]  Execution  of  Caracciolo.  1 39 

him  a  second  trial,  or,  failing  this,  that  he  might  be 
shot.  Nelson  replied  that  Caracciolo  had  been  fairly 
tried  by  the  ofificers  of  his  own  country  and  that 
he  could  not  therefore  interfere.  He  was  approached 
a  second  time  by  Parkinson,  whose  humane  heart 
was  moved  by  the  misery  of  the  poor  man,  but 
Nelson's  rejoinder,  delivered  with  agitation,  was 
simply  :  "  Go,  sir,  and  attend  to  your  duty."  "  At 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,"  says  Parsons,  "  the 
veteran,^  with  a  firm  step,  walked  into  Lord  Nelson's 
barge,  and  with  a  party  of  thirty  of  our  seamen 
under  one  of  our  lieutenants  was  taken  to  his  flag- 
ship, the  gun  fired,  and  the  brave  old  man  launched 
into  eternity  at  the  expiration  of  the  two  hours  from 
the  time  the  sentence  had  passed. f  The  seamen  of 
our  fleet,  who  clustered  on  the  rigging  like  bees,  con- 
soled themselves  that  it  was  only  an  Italian  Prince 
and  the  Admiral  of  Naples  that  was  hanging — a 
person  of  very  light  estimation  compared  to  the 
lowest  man  in  a  British  ship." 

The  story  of  the  rising  of  Caracciolo's  body  has 
been  variously  told.  Parsons  fixes  the  time  at 
"  some  days  "  after  the  execution.  The  King  was 
then  living  on  board  the  Foudroyant.     Parsons  went 


*  "  To  provoke  pity  for  Caracciolo,  it  was  the  practice  of  the  false 
scribes  to  represent  that  he  was  an  old  man — seventy  or  over  seventy 
years  old.  His  age  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  forty-seven." — "Lady 
Hamilton  and  Lord  Nelson,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  82.  Miss  H.  M.  Williams, 
in  her  "Sketches,"  says  "he  appeared  to  be  about  seventy,  of  a 
commanding  figure,  and  with  a  dark,  expressive  countenance." — 
Vol.  i.,  pp.   210,   211. 

\  Clarke  and  M'Arthur  give  the  hour  of  his  removal  frona  the 
Foudroyant  as  5  P.M. 


1 40  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  40 

on  deck  and  observed  his  Majesty  gazing  intently 
through  his  spy-glass  at  some  object  out  upon  the 
water.  Suddenly  the  King  turned  pale,  and  with 
an  exclamation  of  horror,  let  fall  the  glass.  On 
Parsons  directing  his  eyes  over  the  "  larboard  " 
quarter,  he  perceived  the  body  of  Caracciolo.  The 
face  was  "  much  swollen  and  discolored  by  the 
water,  and  the  orbs  of  sight  started  from  their 
sockets  by  strangulation."  There  were  a  number 
of  priests  on  board,  one  of  whom  told  the  King 
that  the  spirit  of  his  unfortunate  admiral  could 
not  rest  without  his  forgiveness.  Nelson  ordered  a 
boat  to  get  hold  of  the  corpse,  and  tow  it  ashore.* 
Variously  as  this  anecdote  has  been  related,  there 
seems  no  good  reason  why  it  should  not  be  received. 
Southey  found  the  story  in  Clarke  and  M'Arthur, 
whose  version  is  different  indeed  from  Parsons'.  The 
body  is  said  to  have  been  sunk  by  three  double- 
headed  Neapolitan  shot,  weighing  in  all  two  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  ;  yet  it  rose  with  the  shot  still 
attached  !  Nicolas,  in  a  note,  says  that  Dr.  Clarke 
in  a  letter  to  Captain  Foote,  dated  January,  1809, 
wrote:  "Hardy  told  me  that  Caraccioli  f  floated, 
notwithstanding  that  three  double-headed  shot  had 
been  tied  to  his  legs,  and  that  these  shot,  on  being 
weighed,  were  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  !  How 
can  three  double  shot  weigh  so  much  ?  I  have  made 
it  one  hundred  and  fifty.  I  will  write  to  Hardy,  and, 
if  wrong,  mark  it  in  the  Appendix."  Foote's  reply 
was  that  the  weight  of  a  double-headed  shot  depended 

*  "  Nelsonian  Reminiscences,"  6. 

f  Thus  spelt  ;  but  Caracciolo  wrote  his  name  with  an  "  o." 


1799]  Generosity  of  Character.  141 


on  the  bore  of  the  gun,  and  he  supposed  that  three 
such  shot  belonging  to  a  thirty-two  pounder  would 
weigh  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  *  But  this 
does  not  answer  the  question,  how  a  human  body 
is  to  rise  to  the  surface  of  the  sea  with  two  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  of  iron  attached  to  it. 

The  generosity  of  Nelson's  character  is  at  no  time 
more  conspicuous  than  during  this  period  of  Palermo 
and  Naples  experiences.  On  learning  that  the  East 
India  Company  had  voted  him  a  gift  of  ten  thousand 
pounds,  he  wrote  to  his  wife  that  five  hundred 
pounds  should  be  given  to  his  father  ;  five  hundred 
to  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Bolton,  "  and  let  it  be  a 
God-send  \^\\.\\o\x\.  any  restriction  "  ;  and  five  hundred 
each  to  his  brothers  Maurice  and  William.  A  like 
sum  was  to  be  given  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Matcham. 
"  If  I  were  rich  I  would  do  more,"  he  says.  "  To 
my  father  say  every  thing  which  is  kind.  I  love, 
honour,  and  respect  him  as  a  father  and  as  a  man, 
and  as  the  very  best  man  I  ever  saw.  May  God 
Almighty  bless  you,  my  dear  father,  and  all  my 
brothers  and  sisters,  is  the  fervent  prayer  of  your 

affectionate Nelson,"     When    the    King   of    the 

Two  Sicilies  granted  him  the  Dukedom  and  feud  of 
Bronte,  he  wrote  to  tell  his  father  that  the  value  of 
it  was  about  three  thousand  a  year,  which,  "  for  your 
natural  life,  shall  be  taxed  with  five  hundred  a  year." 
It  must  be  admitted  that  the  King  liberally  rewarded 
the  services  done  him.  A  thousand  ounces  of  silver 
were  divided  amongst  the  officers,  seamen,  and 
marines  of  the  Vanguard.      Troubridge  received  the 

*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  506. 


142  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        [^t.40 

King's  miniature  set  in  diamonds,  and  a  valuable 
ring*;  Hardy  and  Hood  somewhat  similar  gifts. 
The  presents  were  numerous  ;  they  were  most  of 
them  costly,  and  many  of  them  princely. 

Nelson  was  much  feted  at  this  time  ;  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  celebration  and  merry-making.  On  the 
1st  of  August,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  the 
Nile,  the  King  dined  on  board  the  Foiidroyant,  then  in 
the  Bay  of  Naples.  When  he  drank  Nelson's  health  a 
royal  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was  fired  from  his 
Majesty's  ships  of  war  and  from  all  the  castles.  At 
night  there  was  a  general  illumination.  Amongst 
other  representations  was  a  large  vessel  equipped  like 
a  Roman  galley,  with  lamps  fixed  to  her  oars,  amid- 
ships a  rostral  column  inscribed  with  Nelson's  name, 
at  the  stern  two  angels  supporting  his  picture.  Nelson 
writes  enthusiastically  to  his  wife  of  two  thousand 
variegated  lamps;  and  of  music  and  singers  in  galore. 
A  little  more  than  a  month  later  we  find  him  mag- 
nificently entertained  in  the  Royal  gardens  at  Palermo 
by  Prince  Leopold  in  commemoration  of  the  day  on 
which  the  news  from  Aboukir  had  reached  Naples. 
The  fireworks  were  very  grand  ;  there  was  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  blowing  up  of  L Orient ;  the  Queen 
of  Naples  conducted  the  company  into  the  richly 
illuminated  gardens,  where  there  were  separate  pa- 
vilions for  the  use  of  the  English,  Portuguese,  Turk- 
ish, and  Russian  guests.  As  the  company  entered  a 
band  of  musicians  from  the  opera  sang  "  God  Save 
the   King."     In  the  vestibule  of  a  Grecian  temple 

*  In  1800  he  was  created  Commander  of  the  Order  of  St.  Ferdinand, 
and  a  pension  of  ;^500  a  year  was  set  tied  on  him. 


1799]  Festive   Celebrations.  143 

superbly  illuminated  was  a  statue  of  Lord  Nelson  as 
large  as  life.  The  four  Princesses  having  arranged 
themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  throne,  Prince  Leopold 
placed  a  crown  of  laurel  on  the  statue,  whilst  the 
band  played  "  Rule  Britannia."  Nelson,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  saluted  the  Prince,  who  immediately 
embraced  him.  There  is  too  much  simplicity  in  all 
this  for  cynicism.  To  Nelson  it  was  enjoyment  at 
least,  and  it  made  the  powder-blackened,  hearts-of- 
oak  who  were  associated  with  him  happy.  The  soul 
of  the  sailor  is  that  of  the  child.  The  student  may 
smile  at  the  character  of  these  plaister-of-Paris  cele- 
brations ;  but  to  the  mariner  the  fireworks,  the 
variegated  lamps,  the  Grecian  temples,  the  devices, 
and  the  compliments  were  very  fine  things.  As 
much  as  possible  was  to  be  made  of  them  after  the 
junk  and  rum  of  shipboard  ;  they  were  professional 
garnishings,  to  be  tasted  once  perhaps  in  a  lifetime 
ere  a  round  shot  did  for  the  seaman,  or  Peace  drove 
him  into  some  obscure  cottage  in  England  to  nurse 
his  wounds  in  poverty  and  live  forgotten. 

On  the  9th  of  July  a  powerful  Spanish  fleet, 
followed,  at  an  interval  of  a  few  hours  only,  by  the 
French  fleet — in  all  sixty-five  sail — passed  through 
the  Strait.  Lord  Keith,  at  this  time  second  in 
command  under  Earl  St.  Vincent,  whose  health  was 
very  bad,  immediately  requested  the  presence  of 
Nelson  and  his  ships  for  the  protection  of  Minorca. 
Nelson,  however,  could  think  of  nothing  but  the 
re-establishment  of  the  Royal  Authority  at  Naples. 
Troubridge  was  ashore  attacking  Capua  with  a  large 
number  of  sailors  and  marines.     Nelson,  under  the 


144  ^^^  ^^f^  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  40 

circumstances,  refused  to  budge.  His  acceptance  of 
Lord  Keith's  orders  went  no  further  than  his  send- 
ing Admiral  Duckworth  with  some  ships  to  Minorca. 
"  I  am  fully  aware  of  the  act  I  have  committed,"  he 
wrote  to  Earl  Spencer  July  13th,  "but,  sensible  of 
my  loyal  intentions,  I  am  prepared  for  any  fate 
which  may  await  my  disobedience,"  Capua  and 
Gaeta  he  believed  must  speedily  fall,  and  when  the 
"scoundrels  of  French  "  had  been  thrashed  out  of 
the  country  he  would  send  eight  or  nine  ships  of  the 
line  to  Minorca.  The  Admiralty  disapproved  of  his 
conduct  in  not  obeying  the  Commander-in-chief's  in- 
structions. It  was  particularly  objected  that  upwards 
of  one  thousand  of  the  best  men  of  Nelson's  squad- 
ron should  have  been  sent  on  shore  at  a  time  when 
the  enemy's  fleet  were  abroad  and  might  at  any 
moment  heave  in  sight.  And  here  "  my  lords  "  for 
once  in  a  while  appeared  to  form  a  correct  opinion, 
for  certainly  the  employment  ashore  at  a  distance  of 
a  large  force  of  the  crews  of  a  squadron  must  neces- 
sarily leave  the  ships  defective  and  even  defenceless. 
The  appointment  of  Sir  Sidney  Smith  in  October, 
1798,  to  act  as  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Ottoman  Court 
at  Constantinople  greatly  irritated  Nelson,  and  was 
regarded  as  an  afTront  by  Lord  St.  Vincent.  They 
both  held  that  it  was  a  direct  neglect  of  the  claims 
of  the  lion-hearted  captains  who  had  fought  at  the 
battle  of  the  Nile  to  place  a  portion  of  the  command 
in  other  and  junior  hands.  Nelson's  indignation 
went  to  the  length  of  asking  St.  Vincent's  leave  to 
withdraw  from  the  command,  which  he  begged  should 
be   given   to  Captain   Troubridge,  or,  as   he  signifi- 


1799]  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  145 

cantly  adds,  "  to  some  other  of  my  brave  friends 
who  so  gloriously  fought  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile." 
All  was  astonishment  and  resentment  with  Nelson 
and  indeed  with  St.  Vincent  too.  There  never  was 
a  more  gallant  ofificer  than  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  but  to 
his  professional  virtues  he  united  several  disagree- 
able qualities,  of  a  very  teasing  and  irritating  sort, 
such  as  pertness,  cocksureness,  and  self-complacency 
often  accentuated  into  positive  absurdity.  At  the 
very  onset  he  contrived  to  outrage  British  sensibility 
in  the  Mediterranean  by  deliberately  stating  that,  as 
he  presumed  all  the  ships  in  the  Levant  were  junior 
to  him,  he  had  a  right  to  take  them  under  his  com- 
mand. St.  Vincent  ended  this  by  requiring  Sir  Sid- 
ney to  put  himself  under  Nelson.  He  proved, 
however,  a  refractory  junior,  persisted  in  acting  inde- 
pendently of  Nelson,  and  provoked  the  Hero  into 
writing  some  strong  letters  to  him.  Especially  was 
Nelson  annoyed  by  learning  that  Sir  Sidney,  in 
direct  opposition  to  his  commander's  opinion,  was 
drawing  up  a  form  of  passport  with  the  avowed  in- 
tention of  enabling  all  French  ships  in  Alexandria 
to  pass  to  France.  "I  .  .  .  strictly  cJiarge  and  com- 
mand yoii,'"  writes  Nelson,  angrily  underscoring  his 
words,  "  never  to  give  any  French  ship  or  man  leave 
to  quit  Egypt."  Sir  Sidney's  policy  was  entirely 
opposed  to  keeping  the  enemy  "  dammed  up  in 
Egj/pt,"  as  he  called  it  ;  his  desire  was  that  they 
should  be  allowed  to  evacuate  the  territory  by  all 
means,  except  that  of  permission  to  retire  with  arms 
in  their  hands.  "  Talents,"  wrote  St.  Vincent  jocu- 
iariv  of  him  to  Lady  Hamilton,  "  he  certainly  pos- 


146  The  Life  of  Horatio  NelsoJi.         l^t.  40 

sesses,  with  a  sufficient  degree  of  enterprise ;  but 
his  military  merits  appear  to  me  rather  problemati- 
cal, and  I  must  resort  to  a  French  phrase,  soi-disant, 
to  designate  his  character."  * 

Acre  however  considerably  altered  Lord  Nelson's 
opinion.  On  the  25th  of  July  he  wrote  to  Sir  Sid- 
ney's brother,  Spencer  Smith,  that  no  one  could 
admire  his  (Sir  Sidney's)  gallantry  and  judgment 
more  than  himself.  The  siege  of  Acre  was  raised 
on  the  2ist  of  May.  It  had  lasted  sixty  days.  The 
enemy's  flotilla  was  destroyed,  and  extraordinary 
skill  and  bravery  were  exhibited  by  Sir  Sidney  Smith, 
who  had  little  more  than  a  body  of  undisciplined 
troops  to  oppose  to  the  trained  and  desperate  regu- 
lars of  Buonaparte.  "As  an  individual,"  wrote  Nel- 
son to  him  August  20th,  "  and  as  an  Admiral,  will 
you  accept  my  feeble  tribute  of  praise  and  admira- 
tion, and  make  them  acceptable  to  all  under  your 
command." 

Meanwhile  to  Captain  Ball  had  been  entrusted  by 
Nelson  the  taking  of  Malta  from  the  French.  It 
was  proposed  that  when  the  island  surrendered, 
Ball  should  be  governor  as  representing  the  King 
of  Naples  and  the  King  of  England.  Nelson's 
concern  in  the  feelings  and  the  sensibilities  of 
the  Court  of  Naples  is  illustrated  by  his  recom- 
mendation to  Ball :  "  In  case  of  the  surrender  of 
Malta  I  beg  you  will  not  do  anything  which  can 
hurt  the  feelings  of  their  Majesties.  Unite  their  flag 
with  England's  if  it  cannot,  from  the  disposition 
of  the  islanders,  fly  alone."     All  this  to  us  at  a  dis- 

*  Pettigrew.     1.,  197. 


1799]        Captai7i  Bair s  Distress  at  Malta.        147 

tance  surely  seems  a  little  de  trop.  Here  was  this 
country  expending  blood  and  treasure  in  the 
protection  of  a  Court  rotten  to  the  heart,  and 
doing  work  which  those  who  desired  to  benefit 
by  it  were  too  cowardly  or  too  lazy  to  perform  for 
themselves.  Lady  Hamilton  and  the  Queen  of 
Naples  between  them  were  fast  impairing  in  Nelson 
the  most  sailorly  of  his  characteristics  :  his  swift 
capacity  of  penetrating  to  all  that  might  be  behind 
the  foreigner's  grimacings  and  posturings  and  pol- 
itesse,  and  his  quarter-deck  trick  of  bluntly  delivering 
what  was  in  his  heart. 

Ball's  duty  was  distracting  and  arduous.  The 
blockade  of  Valetta  had  been  conducted  at  a  cost  of 
;^I5,000  a  month;  the  garrison  was  mutinous;  the 
scurvy  was  raging  ;  the  Maltese  were  starving,  and 
Ball  was  in  despair  how  to  obtain  supplies  for  them. 
Even  if  money  were  to  be  raised,  provisions  were 
not  to  be  had.  What  was  the  behaviour  of  that 
Naples  Court  whose  sensibilities  Nelson  was  so 
anxious  not  to  vex?  Coleridge,  in  his  oft-quoted 
notice  of  his  friend  Sir  Alexander  Ball,  answers  the 
question:  "Though  the  very  existence  of  Naples 
and  Sicily,  as  a  nation,  depended  wholly  and  ex- 
clusively on  British  support ;  though  the  Royal 
Family  owed  their  safety  to  the  British  fleet,  though 
not  only  their  dominions  and  their  rank,  but  the 
liberty  and  even  lives  of  Ferdinand  and  his  family 
were  interwoven  with  our  success ;  yet,  with  an  in- 
fatuation scarcely  credible,  the  most  affecting  repre- 
sentations of  the  distress  of  the  besiegers  and  of  the 
utter  insecurity  of    Sicily,  if    the   French  remained 


1 48  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.  t^t.  41 

possessors  of  Malta,  were  treated  with  neglect ;  and 
the  urgent  remonstrances,  for  the  permission  of  im- 
porting corn  from  Messina  were  answered  only  by 
sanguinary  edicts  precluding  all  supply."^  There 
was  but  one  course  for  Ball  to  adopt :  food  must  be 
obtained  or  the  Maltese  must  starve  ;  and  the  British 
captain  ordered  his  lieutenant  to  proceed  to  Messina 
and  seize  the  ships  laden  with  corn  there.  This  was 
done  ;  it  removed  the  necessity  of  raising  the  siege, 
but  in  consequence  of  this  act,  as  Coleridge  tells  us. 
Ball  became  an  especial  object  of  the  hatred  and 
fear,  and  perhaps  the  respect,  of  the  Court  of  Naples. 
Troubridge  arrived  off  Malta  on  the  9th  of  De- 
cember, Nelson's  hope  being  to  bring  the  long 
blockade  to  a  close.  The  devotion  of  this  officer 
(who,  in  September,  had  been  made  a  baronet  by 
the  King  of  Great  Britain)  to  the  service  of  his 
country,  finds  remarkable  expression  in  his  offer 
to  assist  the  intended  reinforcement,  whose  opera- 
tions were  delayed  by  want  of  money,  with  a  con- 
siderable sum  out  of  his  own  pocket.  His  love  for 
Nelson  is  also  strongly  illustrated  by  his  letters 
dated  during  the  month  of  December  from  Malta. 
The  Hero's  health  was  bad  ;  he  undoubtedly  required 
rest,  but  such  rest  as  he  could  not  obtain  at  Palermo. 
James  cynically  says:  "Lord  Nelson  being  indis- 
posed (mentally  if  not  corporeally),"  etc.f  But  his 
illness  was  something  more  than  mental.  His  tem- 
per had  been  affected  by  the  wound  he  had  received 
in  the  head  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile  ;  his  having  to 

*  "  The  Friend,"  by  S.  T.  Coleridge.     Bohn's  ed. 
f  James.     II.,  440. 


1799]     Troubridge  s  Hatred  of  Neapolitans.      1 49 

return  to  Syracuse  after  the  fruitless  search  for  the 
French  fleet,  had  then  and  there,  he  was  wont  to 
say,  broken  his  heart ;  and  he  was  now  suffering 
from  violent  pains  in  his  chest,  which  he  would 
speak  of  as  though  a  ligature  tightly  and  torment- 
ingly  girdled  him.  Troubridge,  gravely  concerned 
for  the  health  of  his  glorious  chief,  entreated  him  to 
act  with  prudence.  "I  know,"  he  says,  "you  can 
have  no  pleasure  sitting  up  all  night  at  cards;  why 
then  sacrifice  your  health,  comfort,  purse,  ease, 
everything  to  the  customs  of  a  country  where  your 
stay  cannot  be  long?  I  would  not,  my  Lord,  reside 
in  this  country  for  all  Sicily.  ...  If  you  knew 
what  your  friends  feel  for  you,  I  am  sure  you  would 
cut  all  the  nocturnal  parties."  Troubridge's  detes- 
tation of  the  Kingdom  of  Naples  and  everybody  in 
it  and  belonging  to  it  again  and  again  breaks  forth 
amid  the  conjurations  he  addresses  to  his  beloved 
chief.  "  I  curse  the  day  I  ever  served  the  Neapolitan 
Government."  "  For  my  own  part,  I  look  on  the 
Neapolitans  as  the  worst  of  intriguing  enemies. 
Every  hour  shows  me  their  infamy  and  duplicity."* 
There  is  a  significant  stroke  in  a  letter  that  Nelson 
received  towards  the  close  of  1799  from  his  friend 
Admiral  Goodall,  then  in  England  :  "  They  say  here, 
my  good  Lord,  that  you  are  Rinaldo  in  the  arms 
of  Armida,  and  that  it  requires  the  firmness  of  a 
Ubaldo  and  his  brother  knight  to  draw  you  from 
the  enchantress." 


♦Clarke  and  M'Arthur.     II.,  355. 


XII. 

with  Le  Gene'reux — Lieutenant  Parsons's 

]ition  of  the  fight — Lord  Cochrane   on 

n — Capture  of  Le  Guillatmie  Tell — Life 

board    the   Foudroyant — Lisurrection   at 

liorn — Licidents  of  Kelson's  journey  home 

/al    in    London  —  Quarrel    with    Lady 

Ison — His  separation  from  her. 

ARLY  in  January,  iSoo,  Nelson 
sent  Troubridge  word  that  he 
Avould  shortly  join  him  at  Malta.  His  position  as 
Acting  Commander-in-chief  in  the  Mediterranean 
terminated  on  the  6th  of  January,  when  he  learnt 
that  Lord  Keith  had  received  orders  to  resume 
the  command  in  that  sea.  Hoisting  his  flag  on 
board  the  Foudroyant,  he  joined  Lord  Keith  in  the 
Leghorn  Roads,  and  on  the  3d  of  February  sailed 
for  Malta.  Whilst  off  Cape  Passaro,  in  Sicily, 
he  fell  in  with  a  French  squadron  under  Rear- 
Admiral  Perr^^e  in  Lc  Gdnc'rciix,  74,  one  of  the  vessels 
that  had  escaped  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile.  This 
squadron  had  some  3,000  troops  on  board,  to  inter- 
cept the  disembarkation  of  which  Lord  Keith,  who 
had  sailed  with  Nelson,  kept  as  close  to  the  entrance 
of  Valetta  in  his   lOO-gun  ship,  the   Queen  Charlotte, 

150 


1800]  Action  with  Le  Genereux.  1 5 1 

as  the  batteries  would  allow  him.  With  Nelson's 
ship  were  the  Audacious  and  the  Northumberland ; 
a  fourth  ship,  \.\\e.  Alexander,  was  down  on  the  south- 
east side  of  the  island.  This  vessel  on  the  i8th  at 
daylight  sighted  Perr^e's  squadron,  and  a  little  later 
on  fired  at  and  brought  to  an  armed  storeship.  The 
smaller  of  the  Frenchmen  tacked ;  the  Genereux, 
that  could  not  have  done  so  without  coming  to  an 
action  with  the  Alexander,  bore  up.  The  little  Suc- 
cess frigate,  that  was  to  leeward,  placed  herself 
athwart  the  hawse  of  the  French  seventy-four,  and 
raked  her  with  several  broadsides.  At  half-past  four 
the  Foudroyant,  followed  by  the  Northumberland, 
got  near  enough  to  plump  two  shots  into  the  French- 
man, and  the  Genereux,  after  firing  the  usual  cere- 
monious broadside,  struck  her  colours. 

Parsons,  who  was  on  board  the  Foudroyant,  gives 
a  lively  account  of  the  chase  of  the  Frenchman.  We 
see  Nelson  himself  in  this  picture,  hear  him  speak, 
and  watch  his  motions.  The  deck  is  hailed  from 
aloft  and  a  man-of-war  reported — a  Hne-of-battle 
ship,  apparently,  going  large  on  the  starboard  tack. 
"  Ah,  an  enemy,  Mr.  Staines !  "  exclaimed  Nelson. 
"  I  pray  God  it  may  be  Le  Genereux.  The  signal 
for  a  general  chase.  Sir  Ed'ard  [the  Nelsonian  pro- 
nunciation for  Sir  Edward,  addressed  to  Sir  Edward 
Berry].  Make  the  Foudroyant  fly  !  "  The  North- 
tunberland  was  now  taking  the  lead,  with  the  flag- 
ship close  on  her  quarter.  "  This  will  not  do.  Sir 
Ed'ard  !  "  cried  Nelson  ;  "  it  is  certainly  Le  G^n&eux, 
and  to  my  flag-ship  she  can  alone  surrender.  Sir 
Ed'ard,  we  must  and   shall   beat   the  Northumber- 


152  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        [^t.  41 

land !  "  Every  effort  was  made,  Parsons  tells  us. 
"  I  will  do  the  utmost,  my  Lord,"  answered  Sir 
Edward  Berry,  and  gives  the  following  orders  :  "  Get 
the  engine  to  work  on  the  sails — hang  butts  of  water 
to  the  stays — pipe  the  hammocks  down  and  each 
man  place  shot  in  them — slack  the  stays,  knock  up 
the  wedges,  and  give  the  masts  play — start  off  the 
water,  Mr.  James,  and  pump  the  ship!  "  Then  ad- 
dressing whom  it  may  concern,  Sir  Edward  exclaims  : 
"  The  Admiral  is  working  his  fin  [the  stump  of  his 
right  arm]  ;  do  not  cross  his  hawse,  I  advise  you  !  " 
The  advice  was  good,  for  at  that  moment  Nelson 
opened  furiously  on  the  quartermaster  at  the  wheel : 
"  I  'II  knock  you  off  your  perch,  you  rascal,  if  you 
are  so  inattentive!  Sir  Ed'ard,  send  your  best 
quartermaster  to  the  weather-wheel !  " — "A  strange 
sail  ahead  of  the  chase  !  "  called  the  lookout-man. — 
"  Youngster,  to  the  masthead  ! — What  !  going  with- 
out your  glass,   and  be  d d    to   you  !     Let  me 

know  what  she  is  immediately  !  " — "  A  sloop-of-war 
or  frigate,  my  Lord  !  "  shouted  the  young  signal 
midshipman. — "  Demand  her  number  ?  " — "  The  Suc- 
cess, my  Lord,  Captain  Peard." — "  Signal  to  cut  off 
the  flying  enemy  !  Great  odds,  though — thirty-two 
small  guns  to  eighty  large  ones." — "  The  Success  has 
hove-to  athwart  hawse  with  the  Gdndrcux,  and  is 
firing  her  larboard  broadside  !  The  Frenchman  has 
hoisted  his  tri-colour  with  the  Rear-Admiral's  flag!  " 
— "  Bravo  !  Success,  at  her  again  !  " — "  She  has  wore 
round,  my  Lord,  and  firing  her  starboard  broadside. 
It  has  winged  her,  my  Lord,  her  flying-kites  are  fly- 
ing away  altogether.      The  enemy  is  close  on   the 


18001         Parsons  Account  of  the  Fight.  153 

Success,  who  must  receive  her  tremendous  broad- 
side !  "  The  Genereux  opens  her  fire  on  her  Httle 
enemy,  and  every  person  stands  aghast,  afraid  of 
the  consequences.  The  smoke  clears  away,  and 
there  is  the  Success,  crippled,  it  is  true,  but,  bull-dog- 
like, bearing  up  after  the  enemy.  "  Signal  for  the 
Success  to  discontinue  the  action  and  come  under 
my  stern,"  said  Lord  Nelson.  "  She  has  done  well 
for  her  size.  Try  a  shot  from  the  lower  deck  at  her. 
Sir  Ed'ard." — "  It  goes  over  her." — "  Beat  to  quarters 
and  fire  coolly  and  deliberately  at  her  masts  and 
yards."  At  this  moment.  Parsons  goes  on  to  tell  us 
in  this  lively  sketch,  which  maybe  accepted  as  a  very 
real  and  correct  portrait,  a  shot  from  the  Genereux 
passed  through  the  mizzen  staysail.  Nelson,  patting 
one  of  the  little  midshipmen  on  the  head,  asked  him 
jocularly  how  he  relished  the  music.  The  lad  was 
pale  and  alarmed,  and,  observing  this,  Nelson  told 
him  that  Charles  XII.  ran  away  from  the  first  shot 
he  heard,  though  he  was  afterwards  called  "  The 
Great  "  because  of  his  bravery.  "  I  therefore,"  said 
Nelson,  "  hope  much  from  you  in  future."  Shortly 
after  this  the  enemy  hauled  down  his  colours,  and 
Sir  Edward  Berry  was  sent  on  board  the  prize,  where 
he  found  Rear-Admiral  Perree  dying  on  his  quarter- 
deck, having  had  both  his  legs  shot  off  by  the  raking 
broadsides  of  the  little  Sticcess.  Nelson,  who  appears 
to  have  been  incessantly  in  spirit  with  the  Court  of 
Naples,  sent  the  French  Admiral's  flag  as  a  gift  to 
young  Prince  Leopold. 

Lord  Keith  entrusted  the  command  of  the  squad- 
ron that  was  blockading  Valetta  to  Nelson  ;  but  the 


1 54  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         r^t.  41 

Hero's  health,  if  not  his  energies,  were  exhausted. 
Nearl}'  three  months  earher  he  had  written  patheti- 
cally to  Commissioner  Inglefield  :  "  You  must  make 
allowances  for  a  worn-out,  blind,  left-handed  man." 
Yet  he  was  then  but  forty-one  years  of  age  !  He 
entreated  Lord  Keith  to  give  the  command  of  the 
squadron  off  Malta  to  Troubridge,  and  on  the  i6th 
of  March  he  returned  to  Palermo.  It  was  at  Palermo 
that  Lord  Cochrane,  afterwards  Earl  of  Dundonald, 
met  Nelson.  There  never  was  a  finer  sea-ofificer  than 
Cochrane,  despite  his  eccentricities  as  a  man,  and 
the  opinion  he  formed  by  personal  knowledge  of  the 
Hero  of  the  Nile  cannot  but  prove  interesting.  "  It 
was  never,"  he  says,  "  my  good  fortune  to  serve 
under  his  Lordship  either  at  that  or  any  subsequent 
period.  During  our  stay  at  Palermo  I  had,  however, 
opportunities  of  personal  conversation  with  him,  and 
from  one  of  his  frequent  injunctions,  '  Never  mind 
manoeuvres;  always  go  at  them,'  I  had  subsequently 
reason  to  consider  myself  indebted  for  successful 
attacks  under  apparently  difificult  circumstances. 
The  impression  left  on  my  mind  during  these  oppor- 
tunities of  association  with  Nelson  was  that  of  his 
being  an  embodiment  of  dashing  courage,  which 
would  not  take  much  trouble  to  circumvent  an 
enemy,  but  being  confronted  with  one  would  regard 
victory  so  much  a  matter  of  course  as  hardly  to  deem 
the  chance  of  defeat  worth  consideration.  This  was 
in  fact  the  case ;  for  though  the  enemy's  ships  were 
for  the  most  part  superior  to  ours  in  build,  the 
discipline  and  seamanship  of  their  crews  were  in  that 


1800]       Capture  of  ''Le  Guillaume  Tell."        155 

day  so  inferior  as  to  leave  little  room  for  doubt  of 
victory  on  our  part."  * 

Another  distinguished  naval  officer,  Sir  Jahleel 
Brenton,  preserves  a  characteristic  story  of  Nel- 
son, which  also  belongs  to  this  period.  Brenton  had 
command  of  a  sloop-of-war,  and  was  ordered  with 
a  convoy  of  Neapolitan  vessels  to  Cagliari,  where 
they  were  to  load  with  corn  and  return  to  the 
ports  of  Italy.  Brenton,  then  a  very  young  man, 
sensible  of  the  importance  of  his  trust,  and  aware 
that  the  policy  of  the  British  Government  towards 
the  States  of  Barbary  was  one  of  extreme  caution, 
asked  Nelson  what  he  should  do  in  the  event  of  the 
Algerines  attacking  his  convoy.  "  Let  them  sink  you" 
answered  the  Hero  ;  "  but  do  not  let  them  touch  the 
hair  of  the  head  of  one  of  your  convoy.  ALWAYS 
FIGHT  AND   YOU   ARE    SURE   TO    BE   RIGHT." 

Nelson  was  cheered  on  the  30th  by  the  capture  of 
Le  Giiillaunie  Tell,  eighty-four  guns,  the  remaining 
ship  that  had  escaped  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile.  She 
surrendered  to  Sir  Edward  Berry  in  the  Fondroyant. 
Captain  Manley  Dixon  of  the  Lion  sent  Sir  Thomas 
Troubridge  a  graphic,  detailed  account  of  the  action. 
The  G2iillaiune  Tell  had  a  thousand  men  on  board, 
and  mounted  eighty-six  guns,  according  to  Dixon's 
statement,  and  bore  the  flag  of  Contre-Amiral 
Decr^s.  The  English  ships  engaged  were  the  Fon- 
droyant, Lion,  and  Penelope.  Signal  rockets  and  the 
discharge  of  guns  from  the  English  batteries  at 
Malta,  on  the  midnight  of  the  30th  of  March,  had 

*  "  Autobiography  of  a  Seaman,"  p.  55. 


156  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.4l 

announced  her  escape.  Captain  Blackwood,  in  the 
Penelope,  descried  her  in  the  dark,  with  other  escaped 
ships  in  company.  Instantly  Captain  Dixon  made 
the  signal  for  the  squadron  to  cut  or  slip,  and  gave 
chase  under  a  press  of  canvas,  steering  his  course  by 
help  of  the  flashes  of  the  Penelope's  guns,  whilst  he 
himself  signalled  the  direction  to  be  taken  by  rockets 
and  blue-lights  to  the  squadron  in  his  wake.  At 
daybreak  the  Lion  was  within  gunshot  of  the  chase, 
and  the  Penelope  w'ltWxn  musket-shot.  It  was  a  yard- 
arm  to  yard-arm  action,  with  great  confusion  aboard 
the  Frenchman  owing  to  her  wreckage  aloft.  "  I 
was  not  in  the  least  solicitous,"  writes  Captain  Man- 
ley  Dixon,  "  either  to  board  or  to  be  boarded,  as  the 
enemy  appeared  of  immense  bulk  and  full  of  men, 
keeping  up  a  prodigious  fire  of  musketry."  Seem- 
ingly the  "  Nelson  touch  "  is  wanting  in  this  admis- 
sion. The  Foudroyant  drove  alongside  under  a  press, 
hailing  the  enemy  to  strike  as  she  passed,  which  she 
eventually  did  after  the  hottest  action,  so  Captain 
Dixon  terms  it,  that  was  ever  maintained  by  an 
enemy's  ship  opposed  to  British  vessels.  The 
Giiillaume  Tell  was  a  giantess  of  those  days.  It  is 
said  that  the  Foudroyant  alone  in  this  engagement 
expended  162  barrels  of  powder,  1,200  thirty-two- 
pound  shot,  1,240  twenty-pound  ditto,  100  eighteen- 
pound  ditto,  and  200  twelve-pound  ditto.*  Add  to 
this  the  fire  of  the  Penelope  diVid  the  Lion,  and  we  may 
realise  the  character  of  the  ploughing  suffered  by 
the  gallant  Frenchmen  in  this  desperate  conflict. 
Nelson's  satisfaction  was  scarcely  to  be  expressed. 

*  Naval  Chronicle,  vol.  iii.,  p.  508, 


18001  Leaves  for  England.  157 

*'  My  task  is  done,"  he  wrote  to  Sir  Edward  Berry, 
"  my  health  is  lost,  and  the  orders  of  the  great  Earl 
St.  Vincent  are  completely  fulfilled — thanks,  ten 
thousand  thanks  to  my  brave  friends."  He  refers  to 
the  then  Commander-in-chief's  instructions  to  him  to 
take,  sink,  burn,  Siwd  destroy  the  French  armament,  a 
command  which  this  capture  of  the  last  of  the  enemy's 
liners  that  had  fought  at  the  Nile  completely  fulfilled. 

The  Foudroyant  returned  to  Palermo,  and  on  the 
24th  of  April  Nelson  sailed  in  her  for  Syracuse. 
Little  of  interest  attends  his  movements  until  the 
1 8th  of  June,  on  which  date  he  received  a  communi- 
cation from  Lord  Keith,  acquainting  him  with  the 
capitulation  between  the  Imperial  and  French  armies, 
and  of  the  proposed  evacuation  of  the  Genoese 
territories,  and  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  with  all 
the  ships  at  Leghorn  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Especia  to 
obtain  possession  of  certain  garrisons  there.  It  is 
noticeable  that  Lord  Keith,  in  these  directions, 
seems  to  anticipate  an  objection  by  speaking  of  the 
order  given  as  "  not  a  matter  of  caprice,  but  of 
actual  duty  and  necessity,"  and  adds  :  "  I  must 
desire  to  be  final,"  Next  day  he  directed  that  no 
line-of-battle  ships  should  be  employed  to  convey 
the  Queen  of  Naples  to  Palermo,  should  she  decide 
upon  not  going  to  Vienna,  and  Nelson  was  author- 
ised to  strike  his  flag  and  proceed  to  England  either 
by  land,  or  in  the  Princess  Charlotte,  or  in  the  troop- 
ship at  Mahon,  or  in  the  Seahorse.  He  struck  his 
flag  on  the  i  ith  of  July. 

Miss  Knight,  in  her  "  Autobiography,"  *  admits  us 

*  Vol.  i.,  p.  1:46. 


158  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [iCt.4i 

to  a  close  view  of  what  may  be  termed  Nelson's 
inner  and  private  life  at  this  period.  It  is  by  such 
glimpses  as  these  that  we  are  enabled  to  figure  the 
Hero  as  he  showed  to  those  who  lived  in  intimate 
association  with  him.  Sir  William  Hamilton  had 
been  succeeded  in  his  post  as  Minister  at  Naples  by 
the  Hon.  Arthur  Paget.  The  party  that  sailed  in 
the  Foiidroyant  from  Palermo  in  April,*  1800,  con- 
sisted of  Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton,  an  Eng- 
lish lady  and  gentleman,  an  old  Maltese  nobleman, 
and  Miss  Knight.  Nelson's  cabin,  or  his  living-room 
as  it  may  be  called,  is  represented  as  being  decorated 
with  a  carving  in  wood  of  an  immense  three-coloured 
plume  of  feathers,  which  had  been  a  portion  of  the 
figure-head  of  the  Guillaume  Tell ;  four  muskets  that 
had  been  taken  from  the  San  Josef  m  the  battle  off 
Cape  St.  Vincent  ;  and  the  flag-staff  of  L Orient, 
saved  from  the  flames  when  that  ship  was  blown  up. 
The  famous  coflfin,  as  we  may  suppose,  had  some 
time  before  this  been  removed.  The  table  was 
good  ;  there  was  plenty,  without  ostentation  ;  Nel- 
son, however,  ate  little — the  wing  of  a  fowl  and  a 
glass  or  two  of  champagne  often  served  him  for  a 
dinner.  Lady  Hamilton  was  exceedingly  miserable 
through  leaving  Sicily  and  her  "  adorable  "  Queen, 
and  by  way  of  consoling  her,  Miss  Knight  com- 
posed some  verses  to  the  tune  of  "  Hearts  of  Oak," 
in  the  chorus  of  which  Nelson  would  join  with 
heartiness.  After  visiting  Syracuse  and  Malta,  the 
Foudroyant ^  returned  to  Palermo,  whence  she  sailed 
for  Leghorn,  with  the  Queen  of  Naples,  her  three 

*  Miss  Knight  gives  the  date  as  the  23d. 


1800]  Insurrection  at  Leghorn.  1 59 

unmarried  daughters,  and  Prince  Leopold  on  board. 
The  Queen  was  now  on  her  way  to  Vienna,  and 
Nelson,  by  accompanying  her,  was  keeping  a  promise 
he  had  long  before  made.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
ship  at  Leghorn,  June  i6th,  the  Queen  presented  to 
Nelson  a  rich  picture  of  the  King;  to  Sir  William 
Hamilton  she  gave  a  gold  snuff-box,  with  a  picture 
of  the  King  and  herself  in  diamonds  ;  and  to  Lady 
Hamilton  a  diamond  necklace,  with  ciphers  of  all 
the  children's  names,  ornamented  by  locks  of  their 
hair.* 

Whilst  the  Royal  Party  were  at  Leghorn  there  was 
an  insurrection  of  the  people.  The  French  army 
was  about  twenty-four  miles  distant,  and  the  popu- 
lace sought  to  secure  the  persons  of  the  Queen  and 
Royal  Family  and  to  detain  Nelson  that  he  might 
lead  them  against  the  abhorred  foe.  The  Queen 
and  her  family  escaped  from  the  palace  in  which 
they  were  residing,  and  got  on  board  the  Alexander^ 
in  which  ship  Nelson  had  hoisted  his  flag  after  the 
departure  of  the  Foudroyant  to  Minorca  for  repairs. 
It  was  Nelson's  intention  to  convey  the  Queen 
to  Trieste  ;  instead  of  which  she  started  for  Flor- 
ence and  Ancona,  and  on  the  following  day  Nelson, 
Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton,  and  Miss  Knight 
followed  her.  Florence  was  reached  on  the  12th  of 
July,  despite  desperate  risks ;  for  the  route  of  the 
Nelson  party  had  obliged  them  to  pass  within  a  mile 
of  the  advance  posts  of  the  French,  and  Miss  Knight 
assures  us  that  even  the  officers  and  crew  of  the 
Alexander  were  shocked  at  the  idea  of  the  danger  to 

♦Pettigrew.     I.,  384. 


1 60  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        [^t.  4-2 

which  their  Admiral  was  exposing  himself.  When 
they  reached  Ancona  they  found  a  Russian  squad- 
ron about  to  sail  to  Corfu.  The  commanding  officer, 
however,  consented  to  take  the  Queen  and  all  her 
party  to  Trieste,  at  which  port  Nelson  landed  with 
the  others  on  the  2d  of  August.  He  had  met  with 
several  unpleasant  adventures :  for  instance,  at 
Castel  San  Giovanni  the  coach  in  which  he,  Sir 
William  and  Lady  Hamilton  were  travelling  was 
overturned.  The  wheel  was  repaired,  but  farther 
on  the  crazy  vehicle  broke  down  again  at  a  moment 
when  news  had  reached  them  that  the  French  army 
was  rapidly  advancing.  On  board  the  Russian 
Commodore's  ship  Nelson  is  said  to  have  suffered 
miserably.  The  Commodore  himself  was  sick  in  his 
cot ;  and  the  vessel  was  in  charge  of  the  first  lieu- 
tenant, a  Neapolitan,  who  is  described  as  the  most 
insolent  and  ignorant  of  beings.  Nelson  declared 
that  had  the  ship  encountered  a  gale  of  wind 
she  must  have  sunk.*  At  every  place  at  which 
they  arrived  crowds  assembled  to  behold  the  Hero 
of  the  Nile.  At  Vienna,  his  name  figured  on  hun- 
dreds of  signboards,  and  the  very  modistes  went 
to  work  to  celebrate  him  in  costumes  and  dresses 
called  after  him.  Amongst  those  whom  Nelson  met 
whilst  on  his  travels  home  was  Haydn.  Prince  and 
Princess  Esterhazy  feasted  him  at  a  table  where  the 
waiters  were  a  hundred  grenadiers,  most  of  whom 
were  above  six  feet  tall.  "  Count  Batthyany's  con- 
tribution to  the  series  of  Nelson  celebrations  was 
the  aquatic  fete  on  the  Danube,  with  his  experiments 

*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  264. 


i>  ni- 


NELSON'S   COLUMN,  TRAFALGAR    SQUARE,   LONDON. 


1800]  Arrival  at  Yarmouth.  i6i 

of  vessels  especially  constructed  to  resist  the  torrents 
of  the  mighty  river."  * 

At  Prague  occurred  an  incident  characteristic  of 
Continental  travel :  The  hotel  at  which  Nelson 
stopped  was  splendidly  illuminated  in  honour  of 
him  ;  and  when  mine  host  sent  in  his  bill  it  was 
observed  that  he  had  charged  for  every  candle  !  At 
Hamburg  Nelson  called  upon  the  poet  Klopstock. 
During  the  visit  the  door  was  opened  and  an 
old  man  in  canonicals,  holding  a  Bible  in  his  hand, 
was  ushered  in.  He  walked  up  to  Nelson,  and, 
bowing  low,  stated  that  he  was  between  seventy 
and  eighty  years  of  age,  and  had  travelled  forty 
miles  with  the  Bible  of  his  parish  church  to  obtain 
Nelson's  signature  on  the  first  leaf  of  it.  Nelson 
willingly  complied,  and  the  clergyman,  giving  him 
his  blessing,  withdrew.  Another  anecdote  belong- 
ing to  this  journey  is  told.  The  English  merchants 
at  Hamburg  invited  Nelson  and  his  friends  to  a 
grand  fete.  He  wore  the  magnificent  sword  that 
had  been  given  to  him  by  the  King  of  Naples,  and 
on  examining  it  afterwards,  found  that  one  of  the 
large  diamonds  which  encrusted  the  hilt  was  missing. 
Search  was  made,  but  the  diamond  was  irrecoverably 
lost.  The  merchants  were  desirous  of  replacing  it, 
at  a  cost  of  iJ"8oo,  but  the  gift  was  declined. 

On  the  31st  of  October  he  and  his  companions 
went  on  board  the  King  George  mail  packet,  and 
arrived  at  Yarmouth  on  the  6th  of  November,  after 
a  stormy  passage.  The  weather  was  so  bad,  indeed, 
that  nothing  but  the  determined  spirit  of  Nelson, 

*  "  Lady  Hamilton  and  Lord  Nelson,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  T72< 
II 


1 62  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         l>Et.42 


supplemented  by  a  strong  glass  of  grog,  could  have 
induced  the  pilot  to  make  the  attempt  to  land. 
When  the  party  entered  the  carriage  that  waited  on 
the  beacli,  the  horses  were  taken  from  it,  and  it  was 
dragged  by  the  huzzaing  crowd  to  the  Wrestlers' 
Inn.  The  harbour  was  radiant  with  bunting  ;  the 
freedom  of  the  town  was  presented  to  him  ;  the 
troops  paraded  before  the  inn,  and  their  bands 
saluted  the  conquering  Hero.  Accompanied  by  the 
Corporation  he  went  in  solemn  procession  to  church 
to  offer  up  thanks  on  his  safe  return  to  his  country, 
Illuminations  and  bonfires  completed  the  day's  re- 
joicings. 

The  party  arrived  in  London  on  the  7th  of  No- 
vember,  1800.  Sir  William  and  his  wife  accompanied 
Nelson  to  dine  with  his  father  and  Lady  Nelson. 
The  Hero  had  been  absent  two  years  and  seven 
months,  and  that  his  wife,  after  this  long  lapse  of 
time,  during  which  he  had  rendered  his  name  im- 
mortal, should  not  have  met  him  at  Yarmouth, 
instead  of  coldly  awaiting  his  arrival  in  London, 
is  apparently  to  be  explained  only  by  her  jealousy 
and  dislike  of  Lady  Hamilton,  and  by  the  stories 
which  had  reached  her  of  her  husband's  relations 
with  that  woman.  This  connection  indeed  appears 
to  have  been  the  cause  of  the  coolness  of  his  recep- 
tion at  Court.  Collingwood,  writing  under  date  of 
January  25,  1801,  says:  "Lord  Nelson  is  here. 
...  He  gave  me  an  account  of  his  reception 
at  Court,  which  was  not  very  flattering  after  having 
been  the  adoration  of  that  of  Naples.  His  Majesty 
merely  asked  him  if  he  had  recovered  his  health,  and 


1800]  Quarrel  zvith  Lady  Nelson.  163 

then,  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  turned  to  Gen- 
eral   ,  and  talked  to  him  near  half  an  hour  in 

great  good-humour.  It  could  not  be  about  his 
successes."  This,  after  the  battle  of  the  Nile !  It 
should  have  gone  far  to  correct  in  Nelson  his  idola- 
trous theories  of  princes   and   potentates. 

He  and  Lady  Nelson  lived  together  very  unhap- 
pily for  about  two  months  after  his  return.  The 
story  of  their  separation  has  been  related  by  an  eye- 
witness.* Lord  and  Lady  Nelson  were  at  breakfast 
at  their  lodgings  in  Arlington  Street  in  the  winter 
of  1 801  ;  there  was  some  cheerful  conversation, 
when  incidentally  Nelson  referred  to  something 
which  had  been  said  or  done  by  "  dear  Lady 
Hamilton."  Lady  Nelson  at  once  rose  and  ex- 
claimed with  some  heat :  "  I  am  sick  of  hearing  of 
dear  Lady  Hamilton,  and  am  resolved  that  you 
shall  give  up  either  her  or  me."  Nelson  calmly 
answered  :  "  Take  care,  Fanny,  what  you  say.  I 
love  you  sincerely,  but  I  cannot  forget  my  obliga- 
tions to  Lady  Hamilton  or  speak  of  her  otherwise 
than  with  affection  and  admiration."  Muttering 
something  about  her  "  mind  being  made  up,"  Lady 
Nelson  left  the  room  and  shortly  after  drove  from 
the  house.  This  was  followed  by  a  separation,  and 
they  never  afterwards  lived  together.  Miss  Knight, 
referring  to  this  period,  says  :  "  I  dined  one  day  with 
Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton  in  Grosvenor 
Square.  Lord  and  Lady  Nelson  were  of  the  party, 
and  the  Duke  of  Sussex  and  Lady  Augusta  Murray 

*  W.  Haslewood  to  Nicolas.  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  vii,, 
p.  392. 


164  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  42 

came  in  the  evening.  Lord  Nelson  was  to  make 
his  appearance  at  the  theatre  next  day,  but  I  de- 
clined to  go  with  the  party.  I  afterwards  heard  that 
Lady  Nelson  fainted  in  the  box.  Most  of  my 
friends  were  very  urgent  with  me  to  drop  the 
acquaintance,  but  circumstanced  as  I  had  been,  I 
feared  the  charge  of  ingratitude,  though  greatly 
embarrassed  as  to  what  to  do,  for  things  became 
very  unpleasant.  So  much  was  said  about  the  at- 
tachment of  Lord  Nelson  to  Lady  Hamilton  that  it 
made  the  matter  still  worse.  He  felt  irritated,  and 
took  it  up  in  an  unfortunate  manner  by  devoting 
himself  more  and  more  to  her  for  the  purpose  of 
what  he  called  supporting  her."  She  adds  that  he 
was  at  Deal  when  he  wrote  to  his  wife  giving  her 
credit  for  perfectly  moral  conduct,  but  announcing 
his  intention  of  not  living  with  her  any  more.  She 
is  certain,  however,  that  he  did  not  contemplate  a 
separation  before  he  returned  to  England.  At 
Hamburg,  just  before  he  sailed  for  Yarmouth,  he 
purchased  a  magnificent  lace  trimming  for  a  court 
dress  for  his  wife,  and  Miss  Knight  remembered 
him  saying,  whilst  they  were  at  Leghorn,  "  that  he 
hoped  Lady  Nelson  and  himself  would  be  much 
with  Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton,  and  that 
they  would  all  very  often  dine  together,  and  that 
when  the  latter  couple  went  to  their  musical  parties 
he  and  Lady  Nelson  would  go  to  bed."  * 

The  last  Nelson  saw  of  his  wife  was  on  the  13th 
of  January,  1801,  the  day  he  left  London  to  join  the 
Channel  f^ect.     On  parting   from  her,  he  said  :   "  I 

*  "Autobiography,"  vol.  i.,  p.  162, 


1800] 


Final  Separation. 


165 


call  God  to  witness  there  is  nothing  in  you  or  your 
conduct  I  wish  otherwise."  His  decision  was  thus 
communicated  to  his  friend,  Alexander  Davison, 
April  23,  1801  :  "You  will,  at  a  proper  time,  and 
before  my  arrival  in  England,  signify  to  Lady  N. 
that  I  expect,  and  for  which  I  have  made  such  a 
very  liberal  allowance  to  her,  to  be  left  to  myself, 
and  without  any  inquiries  from  her  ;  for  sooner  than 
live  the  unhappy  life  I  did  when  last  I  came  to 
England  I  would  stay  abroad  for  ever.  My  mind 
is    fixed    as    fate."  * 


*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  vii.,  Addenda,  p.  209. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Honours — St.  Vincent's  Concern — Surrender  of 
Malta — Case  of  the  Freya — Attitude  of  North- 
ern powers — British  fleets  sent  to  Copenha- 
gen— The  Danish  defences — Anecdote  of  the 
Prince  of  Denmark's  aide-de-camp — Nelson  at 
Admiral  Parker's  council — Eve  of  the  action. 

URING  his  stay  in  England  there  were 
manifestations  to  his  honour  in  every 
direction  where  he  showed  himself. 
On  driving  to  the  Installation  Din- 
ner of  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  in  the  Guildhall, 
he  was  recognised  in  Ludgate  Hill,  the  horses  were 
taken  from  his  carriage,  and  he  was  triumphantly 
drawn  to  the  banquet,  where  a  magnificent  sword 
voted  by  the  City  was  presented  to  him.  He  re- 
ceived it  standing  under  a  triumphal  arch.  He 
accepted  an  invitation  from  Beckford,  the  well- 
known  author  of  "  Vathck,"  to  visit  him  at  Fonthill, 
and  at  Salisbury  the  Yeomanry  Cavalry  turned  out  to 
meet  and  escort  him  for  a  distance  of  twelve  miles  ; 
he  was  then  conducted  in  state  to  the  Council  House 
and  presented  with  the  freedom  of  the  City.  In  the 
crowd  stood  a  sailor  whom  Nelson  immediately  rec- 

i66 


1800-1]  FHed  and  Feasted.  167 

ognised  as  one  who  had  fought  with  him  at  the 
battle  of  the  Nile.  He  called  him  forward,  greeted, 
and  dismissed  him  with  a  handsome  gift.  He  also 
observed  another  man  who  had  been  at  his  side 
when  his  arm  was  amputated.  The  honest  Tar  was 
loudly  huzzaing.  Nelson  beckoned  to  him  and 
made  him  a  present,  and  the  poor  fellow  on  with- 
drawing took  from  his  breast  a  piece  of  lace  which 
he  had  torn  from  the  shirt  sleeve  of  Nelson's  excised 
limb,  and  declared  he  should  preserve  it  till  the 
latest  period  of  his  life  as  a  memorial  of  the  beloved 
Hero.  At  Fonthill  Nelson  was  received  by  the 
Volunteers,  headed  by  a  band  of  music.  The 
splendour  of  the  hospitality  was  honourable  to  the 
imagination  of  the  inventor  of  the  "  Hall  of  Eblis." 
Lady  Hamilton  with  her  husband  was  of  the  party, 
and  she  is  said  to  have  enchanted  the  company  with 
one  of  her  remarkable  personations.  In  one  scene 
her  dumb  show  was  so  moving  that  a  number  of 
the  spectators  wept. 

All  this  feting  and  feeding  and  movement 
caused  St.  Vincent  to  fear  for  his  friend.  "  My 
dear  Lord,"  he  wrote,  "  I  wish  you  had  done  with 
this  City  feasting,  for  there  is  much  risk  of  illness  in 
going  out  of  smoking  hot  rooms  into  the  damp  air 
of  putrid  London  streets."  Yet  his  health  had  been 
undoubtedly  benefited  by  his  overland  trip  and 
return  to  England.  Even  on  the  day  of  his  landing 
at  Yarmouth  he  conveyed  to  the  Admiralty  his  wish 
to  serve  immediately,  and  on  the  21st  of  November, 
1800,  we  find  him  writing  to  a  friend  that  the  San 
Josef  is  to  be  his  flag-ship. 


1 68  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  42 

The  fortress  of  Valetta  and  the  island  of  Malta 
had  surrendered  on  the  5th  of  September  to  the 
troops  under  General  Pigott  (an  ofihcer  of  whose 
behaviour  Ball  bitterly  complained  to  Nelson)  and 
to  the  blockading  squadron  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Martin  in  the  NortJmuibcrland.  The  terms 
of  capitulation  were  that  the  troops  should  march 
out  with  the  honours  of  war  and  lay  down  their 
arms  ;  the  ofificers  and  non-commissioned  officers  to 
retain  their  swords  ;  and  the  garrison  to  be  sent  to 
France  at  the  expense  of  the  British  Government, 
and  not  to  serve  against  Great  Britain  until  regularly 
exchanged.  Eight  hundred  pieces  of  ordnance  were 
found  mounted  on  the  fortifications.  In  the  har- 
bour was  a  Maltese  sixty-four-gun  ship  of  a  very 
beautiful  model.  It  is  believed  that  not  less  than 
twenty  thousand  persons  perished  from  famine, 
disease,  and  hardships  during  the  blockade. 

On  the  previous  25th  of  July,  a  British  squadron 
had  fallen  in  with  a  Danish  forty-gun  frigate  convoy- 
ing two  ships.  The  senior  British  officer  hailed  the 
Dane  to  say  he  should  send  his  boat  on  board  the 
convoy,  designing  to  exercise  the  unquestioned  right 
of  searching  the  ships  of  neutrals  for  contraband  of 
war.  The  Dane  threatened  to  fire  into  the  boat ; 
an  action  followed,  and  the  Freya,  the  name  of  the 
Danish  ship,  was  brought  with  her  convoy  to  the 
Downs.  The  British  Government  hastily  despatched 
Lord  Whitworth  to  the  Court  of  Denmark  to  adjust 
as  best  he  could  the  very  grave  difficulty  that  had 
arisen.  Conferences  resulted  in  the  agreement  that 
the  Freya  and  convoy  should  be  repaired  at  the  cost 


1800-1]         Attitude  of  Northern  Powers.  1 69 


of  the  English,  and  released  ;  and  the  right  of  the 
British  to  search  was  to  be  discussed  at  a  future 
day.  Russia,  deemed  to  be  an  ally  of  England  at 
that  time,  resented  the  attack  upon  the  Frcya,  and 
particularly  took  offence  at  the  passage  through  the 
Sound  of  the  squadron  that  had  accompanied  Lord 
Whitworth.  The  first  act  of  the  Emperor  Paul, 
a  brutal  madman,  was  to  sequester  all  British  prop- 
erty in  his  dominions ;  the  next  to  place  his  army 
and  navy  upon  a  war  establishment.  After  three 
weeks  the  sequestration  was  removed,  but  news  of 
the  capture  of  Malta  was  now  to  hand,  and  the 
Emperor  Paul,  in  his  anger  that  the  English  flag 
alone  should  have  been  hoisted  on  the  island  contrary 
to  treaties  concluded  in  1798,  laid  (5th  November)  an 
embargo  on  all  the  British  shipping  in  his  ports, 
numbering  two  hundred  sail.  The  men  belonging  to 
the  vessels,  amounting  nearly  to  two  thousand,  were 
marched  away  in  the  dead  of  winter  to  different 
villages  and  towns  in  the  interior,  as  far  as  the 
confines  of  Siberia.  This  was  followed  (in  Decem- 
ber) by  the  re-establishment  of  an  armed  neutrality 
between  Russia  and  Sweden  ;  a  confederacy  that  was 
presently  rendered  more  menacing  by  the  junction 
of  Denmark  at  the  instigation  of  Russia  and  of 
Prussia.  Thus  briefly  may  be  summarised  the  motif 
of  that  great  Baltic  drama,  whose  central  brilliant 
feature  was  the  battle  of  Copenhagen. 

There  was  nothing  for  Great  Britain  to  do  but 
to  assume  the  menacing  posture  adopted  by  the 
Northern  nations,  and  on  the  12th  of  March,  1801, 
there  was  despatched  from  Yarmouth  Roads,  under 


1 70  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  42 

the  command  of  Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  in  the 
Londott,  98,  with  Nelson  in  the  St.  George,  98,  as 
his  second,  a  fleet  of  fifteen,  afterwards  increased 
to  eighteen  sail-of-the-line,  with  a  large  number 
of  frigates,  bombs,  and  other  craft.  In  this  fleet 
there  had  been  embarked  the  49th  Regiment  under 
Colonel  Isaac  Brock,  two  companies  of  the  Rifle 
Corps,  and  a  detachment  of  Artillery  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Stewart.  The  British  force, 
however,  was  weakened  on  the  i6th  by  the  loss  of 
the  Invincible,  of  seventy-four  guns,  bearing  the  flag 
of  Rear-Admiral  Thomas  Totty.  She  struck  on  a 
sandbank  called  Hammond's  Knowl,  where  she  lay 
for  three  hours,  then  afterwards  floated  into  deep 
water  and  went  down,  taking  with  her  four  hundred 
people.  Of  her  commander,  Captain  Rennie,  Schom- 
berg  says  that  "  after  severe  exertion,  he  had  swum 
close  to  the  launch,  when,  exhausted  with  fatigue, 
he  resigned  himself  to  his  fate,  lifting  up  his  hands 
as  if  to  implore  the  blessing  of  Heaven,  and  imme- 
diately placing  them  upon  his  face,  he  went  directly 
down  without  a  struggle."  Admiral  Totty  and  one 
hundred  and  ninety-six  persons  were  saved.* 

The  ship  which  Nelson  had  exchanged  for  the 
San  Josef  seemed,  at  the  outset  of  this  expedition, 
about  as  fit  for  service  as  the  Againeuinon  was  after 
his  long  employment  of  her.  "You  cannot  think," 
he  writes,  February  9th,  "  how  dirty  the  St.  George 
is  .  .  .  the  ship  is  not  fitted  for  a  flag, — her  decks 
leaky,  and  is  truly  uncomfortable,  but,"  he  sugges- 
tively adds — he  is  writing  to  Lady  Hamilton, — ."it 

*  Schomberg's  "  Naval  Chronology,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  496. 


1800-n  Departure  for  Copenhagen.  171 

suits  exactly  my  present  feelings."  He  had  hoisted 
his  flag  on  the  12th  of  February,  but  until  the  iQth 
had  been  unable  to  get  aboard,  owing  to  the  violence 
of  the  weather.  When  he  sailed  from  Portsmouth 
she  was  filled  with  caulkers  and  painters  preparing 
her  for  sea !  The  achievements  of  British  ships  and 
British  commanders  would  be  found  a  very  great 
deal  more  brilliant  and  astonishing  than  the  annals 
express  them,  if  the  supineness,  the  gross  indifference 
and  neglect  of  the  Admiralty  of^cials  were  to  be 
exhibited  and  illustrated  side  by  side  with  the  per- 
formances which  have  made  Great  Britain  the  coun- 
try she  is. 

It  is  related  that  Nelson,  prior  to  his  departure 
for  Copenhagen,  whilst  at  the  house  of  his  friend 
Davison,  spoke  of  what  he  would  do  had  the  com- 
mand of  this  Baltic  expedition  been  given  to  him 
instead  of  to  Sir  Hyde  Parker,  and  during  the  course 
of  his  conversation  he  desired  that  a  chart  of  the 
Cattegat  should  be  purchased  that  he  might  have  a 
look  at  it,  as  his  memory  or  knowledge  of  those 
waters  was  imperfect.  He  hung  over  the  chart  for 
a  little  while  in  a  posture  of  considering,  then  saying 
that  he  believed  the  Government  could  spare  only 
twelve  ships,  he  marked  their  situation  upon  the 
chart — a  prophetic  indication  that  was  afterwards 
exactly  fulfilled.  There  is,  perhaps,  a  no  more  extra- 
ordinary instance  of  his  surprising  swiftness  of  per- 
ception, his  instant  power  of  coming  to  a  conclusion 
and  forming  his  plans. 

His  eager  spirit  was  greatly  fretted  on  understand- 
ing that  the  fleet  was  to  anchor  outside  of  Kronen- 


172  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  42 


burg  Castle  to  enable  the  British  Minister  at  Copen- 
hagen to  negotiate.  "To  keep  us  out  of  sight,"  he 
wrote,  "  is  to  seduce  Denmark  into  a  war."  "  I  hate 
your  pen-and-ink  men  ;  a  fleet  of  British  ships-of-war 
are  the  best  negotiators  in  Europe ;  they  always 
speak  to  be  understood,  and  generally  gain  their 
point ;  their  arguments  carry  conviction  to  the 
hearts  of  our  enemies."  The  Dane,  he  tells  Davison, 
should  see  the  British  flag  waving  every  moment  he 
lifted  up  his  head.  Already  he  considered  there  had 
been  too  much  delay.  Colonel  Stewart,  who  printed 
a  lively  account  of  the  battle,  says  that  Nelson's 
plan  on  his  arrival  at  Yarmouth  would  have  been  to 
start  at  once  for  the  mouth  of  Copenhagen  Harbour 
with  such  ships  as  were  in  readiness,  leaving  the  rest  to 
follow  as  rapidly  as  could  be  contrived.  Such  celerity 
would  have  rendered  it  impossible  on  the  part  of  the 
Danes  to  have  provided  against  the  attack  by  prepa- 
rations which  British  procrastination  was  now  suffer- 
ing them  to  render  formidable.  On  the  29th  of  March, 
he  changed  his  flag  from  the  St.  George  to  the  Ele- 
pJiant,  a  lighter  and  handier  ship.*     Much  loss  of 

*  Colonel  Stewart  relates  the  following:  Nelson,  he  says,  "was 
rather  too  apt  to  interfere  in  the  working  of  the  ship  (the  St.  George), 
and  not  always  with  the  best  success  or  judgment.  The  wind,  when 
off  Dungeness,  was  scanty,  and  the  ship  must  be  put  about  ;  Lord 
Nelson  would  give  the  orders,  and  caused  her  to  miss  stays.  U]3on 
this  he  said,  rather  peevishly,  to  the  Master  or  Officer  of  the  Watch  (1 
forrot  which) :  '  V/ell,  now  see  what  we  have  done.  Well,  sir,  what 
mean  you  to  do  now?'  The  officer  saying,  with  hesitation  :  '  I  don't 
exactly  know,  my  Lord,  I  fear  she  won't  do,'  Lord  Nelson  turned 
sharply  towards  the  cabin,  and  replied :  '  Well,  I  am  sure  if  you  do 
not  know  what  to  do  with  her,  no  more  do  I  either.'  He  went  in, 
leaving  the  officer  to  work  the  ship  as  he  liked." — Stewart's  "Nar- 
rative." 


1800-1]  The  Danish  Defences.  1 73 

valuable  time  was  caused  by  the  pilots,  who  made 
all  they  possibly  could  of  the  dangers  of  the  expedi- 
tion. When  off  Elsineur  Admiral  Parker  sent  a  flag 
of  truce  to  inquire  of  the  Governor  if  he  meant  to 
oppose  the  passage  of  the  fleet  through  the  Sound. 
The  Governor  answered  that  he  would  fire  at  the 
ships  if  they  approached.  Despite  this  threat,  the 
British  fleet,  on  the  30th,  early  in  the  morning, 
weighed,  and,  with  a  fine  sailing  breeze,  swept 
through  the  Sound  in  line  ahead,  with  Nelson  com- 
manding the  van  division,  Parker  the  centre,  and 
Rear-Admiral  Graves  the  rear.  The  Elsineur  bat- 
teries opened,  but  not  a  shot  hit  the  ships. 

It  was  somewhere  about  noon  that  the  fleet 
anchored  a  little  way  above  the  Island  of  Hucn, 
fifteen  miles  distant  from  Copenhagen,  and  Nelson, 
accompanied  by  Admiral  Graves,  Colonel  Stewart, 
and  others,  entered  a  lugger  called  the  Lark  to 
reconnoitre  the  enemy's  defences.  Nothing  could 
well  look  more  formidable,  as  armaments  went  in 
those  times.  Eighteen  vessels,  comprising  hulks  and 
full-rigged  ships,  were  moored  in  a  line  occupying 
hard  upon  a  mile  and  a  half,  flanked  on  the  north 
by  two  artificial  islands  called  the  Trekroner  bat- 
teries, mounting  between  them  sixty-eight  guns, 
24-  and  36-pounders,  with  furnaces  for  heating  shot, 
and  close  beside  them  were  two  large  two-deck 
block-ships.  The  entrance  to  the  harbour  and 
docks  was  protected  by  a  chain ;  there  were  also 
batteries  on  the  northern  shore  which  commanded 
that  channel.  In  excellent  positions  off  the  har- 
bour's   mouth   were    two    74-gun    ships,    a    40-gun 


1 74  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         L^t.  42 

frigate,  two  brigs,  and  some  xebecs.  Upon  Amag 
Island,  to  the  south  of  the  floating  line  of  hulks  and 
ships,  were  several  gun  and  mortar  batteries,  so  that 
seawards  the  city  of  Copenhagen  was  protected  by 
defences  which  from  end  to  end  stretched  a  distance 
of  nearly  four  miles.  But  additional  security  of  infi- 
nite significance  was  furnished  to  the  Danes  by  the 
dangers  of  the  navigation.  All  the  buoys  had  been 
removed  or  misplaced.  Even  Nelson  was  astonished 
by  the  commanding  and  threatening  appearance  of 
the  enemy's  preparations.  His  own  sketch  of  the 
Danish  hulks  and  battle-ships  exhibits  a  very  extra- 
ordinary armament :  lumps  of  two-deck  hulks,  each 
with  a  pole-mast  amidships,  their  sides  bristling  with 
the  mouths  of  cannon  ;  tall  full-rigged  ships,  little 
gun-brigs,  and  in  the  distance  the  Crown  battery, 
looking,  with  the  vessels  moored  within  it,  like  a 
small  dock  above  which  soar  the  three  towering 
masts  of  a  large  ship-of-war,  whose  hull  is  hidden 
behind  the  embankment. 

An  aide-de-camp  of  the  Prince  of  Denmark  had 
come  aboard  Sir  Hyde  Parker's  ship  when  the  fleet 
was  at  anchor  off  Kronenburg.  Nelson  describes 
him  as  a  young  coxcomb  about  twenty-three.  In 
writing  a  note  in  the  Admiral's  cabin  the  pen  sput- 
tered, and  the  little  creature  called  out:  "Admiral, 
if  your  guns  are  no  better  than  your  pens  you  may 
as  well  return  to  England."  He  asked  who  com- 
manded the  different  ships,  and  on  Nelson's  name 
being  pronounced  he  exclaimed:  "What,  is  he 
here?  I  would  give  a  hundred  guineas  to  see  him, 
Then  I  suppose  it  is  no  joke  if  iic  has  come!     You 


1800-n       At  Admiral  Parker  s  Council.  175 

will  pass  Kronenburg,"  he  continued ;  "  that  we  ex- 
pect. But  we  are  well  prepared  at  Copenhagen. 
There  you  will  find  a  hard  nut  to  crack."  This 
anecdote  Nelson  relates  to  Lady  Hamilton,  laughing 
over  it  as  he  sits  in  his  cabin  in  the  Elephant  writing. 

On  the  31st  Admiral  Parker  called  a  council  of 
war,  mainly  to  consider  the  best  mode  of  attack. 
Nelson  offered  his  services,  asking  for  ten  line-of- 
battle  ships  and  the  whole  of  the  smaller  craft. 
Very  wisely  the  Commander-in-chief  accepted,  and 
not  only  left  every  thing  to  Nelson,  so  far,  at  least, 
as  this  detached  service  was  concerned,  but  gave  him 
two  more  line-of-battle  ships  than  he  had  demanded. 
All  the  while  the  council  was  being  held  Nelson  was 
pacing  the  cabin,  working  the  stump  of  his  arm,  as 
was  his  habit  when  excited  or  irritated,  and  turning 
a  countenance  dark  with  mortification  upon  any 
man  who  ventured  an  observation  that  savoured  in 
the  least  degree  of  alarm  or  doubt.  It  was  suggested 
that  the  three  powers  which  had  combined  might 
prove  too  many  for  the  British.  "  So  much  the 
better!"  was  Nelson's  impatient  remark;  "I  wish 
there  were  twice  as  many.  The  easier  the  victory, 
depend  on  't."  He  had  long  before  prepared  his 
plans,  basing  them  on  keen  appreciation  of  the  want 
of  tactiqiie  amongst  the  northern  fleets ;  and  now, 
whilst  on  the  eve  of  a  desperate  and  bloody  conflict 
with  the  Danes,  he  carried  in  his  mind  a  perfect 
scheme  for  the  defeat  or  annihilation  of  the  Swedes 
or  R.ussians  later  on. 

It  was  he  who,  on  the  night  of  the  day  on  which 
the  council  had  been  held,  readjusted  the  buoyage 


1 76  '  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t/Et.  42 

of  the  outer  channel.  He  went  in  his  boat,  accom- 
panied by  Captain  Brisbane  of  the  Cruiser,  and  foot 
by  foot  groped  his  way  over  the  dark  waters  through 
the  biting  March  air  and  ice  of  that  northern  clime. 
How  many  admirals  then  afloat  would  have  under- 
taken this  duty  for  themselves  ?  Most  of  them, 
possibly,  would  have  applied  to  such  a  task  Lady 
Nelson's  theory  of  boarding,  and  "  left  it  to  the 
captains." 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  April  the  whole 
fleet  sailed  to  within  two  leagues  of  the  town  of 
Copenhagen.  Nelson  had  gone  aboard  the  Avia::o}i, 
in  order  to  take  a  final  view  of  the  surroundings,  and 
returning  to  the  ElepJiant  dX  one  o'clock,  ordered  the 
signal  to  be  made  to  weigh.  At  sight  of  the  colours, 
there  arose  from  the  ships  of  the  division  he  com- 
manded a  hurricane  shout  that  was  heard  at  a  long 
distance.  The  channel  was  narrow ;  the  wind  a 
small  air,  though  happily  favourable  ;  but  the  buoys 
had  been  laid  down  with  such  accuracy  that  the 
congregation  of  ships  went  smoothly  and  steadily 
on,  led  by  the  "  gallant  good  "  Riouin  \.\\q  Ainazo7i,  a 
thirty-eight-gun  frigate.  The  detachment  under  Nel- 
son consisted  of  seven  74's,  three  64's,  a  54  and  a  50; 
five  frigates,  from  38  to  24;  two  ship-sloops  and  two 
brig  sloops,  together  with  seven  bomb-vessels,  two 
fire-ships,  and  a  few  small  craft ;  thirty-six  sail  in 
all.  Admiral  Parker  remained  at  anchor  with  two 
ships  of  98  guns,  three  of  74,  and  two  of  64.  When 
Nelson's  detachment  weighed,  the  Commander-in- 
chief's  eight  ships  also  lifted  their  anchors  and  floated 
a  little  closer  towards  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  but 


1800-1]      Eve  of  the  Battle  of  Copenhagen.         i  "j"] 

wind  and  current  were  against  them,  and  throughout 
the  action  they  continued  at  too  great  a  distance  to 
render  any  service.  At  dusk  Nelson's  division  an- 
chored off  Draco  Point.  The  headmost  of  the 
enemy's  hne  was  then  two  miles  off.  The  narrowness 
of  the  waters  as  an  anchoring  ground  brought  the 
ships  into  a  huddle,  and  infinite  mischief  might  have 
been  done  the  British  had  the  Danes  thought  proper 
to  shell  the  crowded  vessels.  Down  to  a  late  hour 
English  guard-boats  were  out  stealthily  sounding; 
and  Captain  Hardy  rowed  to  within  the  very  shadow 
of  the  Danes'  leading  ship,  round  which  he  felt  for 
the  bottom  of  the  water  with  a  pole,  that  he  might 
not  be  heard. 


The  night  before  the  battle — Order  of  sailing — 
Stations  of  the  British  ships — Remarkable  in- 
stance of  heroism — Parker's  signal  and  its  re- 
ception by  Nelson — The  battle  described — A 
flag  of  truce — The  £/t'J'/i(7/ii ashore — Nelson's 
poetry — Story  of  the  Zealand — Visit  to  the 
Danish  prince — Danish  losses — Young  Wel- 
moes — Departure  of  the  fleet. 


N  the  night  before  the  battle 
Foley,  Hardy,  Fremantle,  Riou, 
Admiral  Graves,  and  a  few  others 
dined  with  Nelson  on  board  the  Elephant.  The 
Hero  was  in  high  spirits,  and  drank  to  a  leading 
wind  and  to  the  success  of  the  ensuing  day  ;  and 
the  captains  retired  to  their  respective  ships  full 
of  profound  admiration  for  their  great,  leader,  and 
eagerly  impatient  to  follow  him  to  the  approaching 
battle.  Riou  and  Foley  remained  in  the  Elephant 
to  arrange  the  order  of  the  conflict,  and  prepare 
instructions  to  be  issued  next  day.  Nelson,  who 
was  greatly  fatigued  by  his  incessant  labours,  was 
so  much  exhausted  while  dictating  his  instructions 
that,  yielding  to  the  entreaties  of  his  companions, 
or  perhaps  to  the  determined  request  of  Allen, 
178 


1800-1]     Disposition  of  the  British  Ships.        179 

his  servant,  who  had  the  reputation  of  exactly- 
knowing  how  to  manage  his  master,  consented  to 
He  in  his  cot  that  was  placed  upon  the  deck;  but 
he  persisted,  nevertheless,  in  dictating  his  orders. 
By  one  o'clock  the  necessary  instructions  were 
completed,  and  half  a  dozen  clerks  went  to  work 
to  transcribe  them.  Nelson  could  not  sleep  ;  every 
half-hour  he  called  from  his  cot  to  the  clerks  to 
bid  them  make  haste,  and  throughout  the  night 
he  was  constantly  receiving  reports  of  the  direc- 
tion of  the  wind.  By  six  he  was  up,  dressed,  and 
had  breakfasted  ;  and  at  seven  made  the  signal  for 
"All  Captains." 

Riou,  a  name  that  no  Englishman  can  pronounce 
without  emotions  of  reverence  and  affection  as  one 
of  the  most  gallant  and  noble  of  the  many  gallant 
and  noble  men  of  that  day  of  marine  giants,  was 
specially  commanded  to  act  as  circumstances  might 
require.  The  land  forces  and  five  hundred  seamen 
under  Fremantle  and  Colonel  Stewart  were  to  storm 
the  Crown  battery  when  its  fire  had  been  silenced; 
whilst  the  division  under  Admiral  Parker  was  to 
menace  the  ships  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbour. 
The  pilots  then  assembled  on  board  the  ElcpJiant. 
They  were  chiefly  mates  of  English  and  Scottish 
trading  vessels,  and  when  the  question  as  to  the 
bearing  of  the  east  end  of  the  Middle  Ground  arose 
there  was  a  very  uncomfortable  hesitation  amongst 
them.  Nelson,  who  was  on  fire  with  impatience, 
demanded  that  they  should  be  resolute,  steady,  and 
decide  at  once.  Still  they  paused,  until  Briarly,  the 
mate    of   the   Bellona,  exclaimed   that    he  was  pre- 


1 80  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         L^t.  42 

pared  to  lead  the  fleet.  On  this  the  pilots  returned 
to  their  ships,  and  at  half-past  nine  the  signal  was 
given  to  weigh  in  succession. 

The  Edgar  led,  but  was  for  some  time  unsupported. 
The  block-ship  Provesteen,  of  56  guns  and  515  men, 
let  fly  at  her  when  she  was  within  range ;  but  she 
"kept  all  fast"  until  nearly  opposite  the  craft  that 
was  destined  for  her  by  the  instructions,  and  then 
poured  in  a  tremendous  broadside.  The  PolypJiemus 
was  followed  by  the  his,  Bellona,  and  Russell,  but 
the  two  latter  ships  in  going  down  the  channel  ran 
aground.  It  was  now  the  Eleplianfs  turn ;  and 
Nelson,  ignorant  that  the  Bellona  and  Russell  were 
ashore,  signalled  to  them  to  close  with  the  enemy. 
As  this  was  not  done  he  guessed  the  reason,  and 
instantly  quitted  the  intended  order  of  sailing  by 
starboarding  his  helm.  The  succeeding  ships  imi- 
tated the  manoeuvre,  which  in  all  probability  saved 
all  or  the  majority  of  them  from  stranding.  One  by 
one  the  ships  took  up  their  positions,  each  anchoring 
by  the  stern  abreast  of  her  indicated  opponent,  with 
her  broadside  to  the  enemy.  The  action  began  at 
five  minutes  past  ten,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  battle 
was  general. 

Nelson's  station  was  in  the  centre  abreast  of  the 
Dannebrog,  of  62  guns  and  336  men,  with  Commodore 
Fischer  in  command  on  board.  The  distance 
between  the  Elephant  and  the  Dannebrog  was  about 
a  cable's  length,  720  feet,*  and  this  Stewart  says  was 
the  average  distance  at  which  the  action  was  fought. 
Nelson  wished  to   get  nearer;  but  the  master  and 

*  The  hemp  cable  was  120  fathoms. 


■H 


^.- 


1800-11  The  Herds  Position.  i8i 

pilots  were  afraid  of  shoaling  their  water,  and  when 
the  lead  was  a  quarter  less  five  insisted  on  the 
anchor  being  let  go.  Yet  it  was  afterwards  found 
that  the  water  from  the  point  where  the  Elephant 
lay  deepened  from  four  fathoms  to  the  enemy's  very 
line.  "  I  hope,"  Nelson  had  written  to  Sir  Edward 
Berry  from  Yarmouth  on  March  the  9th,  "  we  shall 
be  able  as  usual  to  get  so  close  to  our  Enemies  that 
our  shot  cannot  miss  their  object,  and  that  we  shall 
again  give  our  Northern  Enemies  that  hailstorm  of 
bullets  which  is  so  emphatically  described  in  the 
Naval  Chronicle,  and  which  gives  our  dear  Country 
the  Dominion  of  the  Seas.  We  have  it,  and  all  the 
Devils  in  Hell  cannot  take  it  from  us,  if  our  wooden 
walls  have  fair  play."*  A  cable's  length  was  too 
far  for  him,  and  Colonel  Stewart  was  himself  of 
opinion  that  the  distance  between  the  contending 
vessels  was  the  cause  of  the  long  duration  of  the 
battle. 

Immediately  astern  of  Nelson  was  the  Glatton ; 
ahead  of  her  the  Ganges,  MonarcJi,  and  Defiance ; 
and  betwixt  these  ships  the  distance  did  not  exceed 
350  feet.  Never  had  British  seamanship  found  finer 
illustration  of  its  capacity  of  daring  and  skill  than 
in  the  manner  in  which  the  vessels  of  the  Division 
calculated  their  stations  in  a  channel  bewildering 
with  its  complicated  and  perilous  navigation.  Yet 
there  were  three  of  the  ships  aground,  representing 
the  force  that  was  to  have  been  opposed  to  the 
Crown  or  Trekroner  battery;  but  the  glory  of  the 
issue  gains  by  a  disaster  that  gravely  weakened  the 

*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  292. 


1 82  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         i^t.  42 

original  plan  of  attack,  leaving  the  conquest  to  be 
achieved  practically  by  fewer  ships  than  even  Nel- 
son, with  the  utmost  spirit  of  his  sublime  daring, 
had  thought  fit  to  demand. 

Amongst  the  noblest  instances  of  courage,  on  a 
day  that  was  charged  with  heroisms  on  both  sides, 
was  one  that  occurred  on  the  deck  of  the  ElepJiant. 
The  use  of  the  lead  and  line  for  sounding  the  depth 
of  water  over  the  ship's  side  was  confided  to  the 
Master ;  but  two  officers  had  to  take  their  stations, 
one  in  each  channel  or  chains,*  to  watch  the  heaving 
of  the  lead  ;  and  it  is  recorded  that  the  competition 
between  these  men  for  the  larboard  side  of  the 
ship,  where  all  the  danger  was,  delighted  Nelson 
as  he  paced  the  quarter-deck.  Riou  in  the  Amazon 
endeavoured  to  supply  the  blank  in  the  plan  of 
attack  on  the  Crown  battery,  and  proceeded  down 
the  line  with  his  little  squadron  of  frigates ;  but 
sting  as  these  vessels  might,  they  wanted  the  crush- 
ing weight  of  the  liner's  broadside,  and  their  heroic 
efforts  were  of  little  or  no  use.  At  one'  o'clock  no 
apparent  impression  had  been  produced  upon  the 
enemy,  whose  hulks  and  batteries  and  towering 
block-ships  continued  to  blaze  and  roar  with  swiftly- 
fired  artillery.  The  his  was  barely  saved  from  de- 
struction by  the  Provcstccn  s  fire  by  the  Polyphemus 
and  Dcsin^c.  The  combined  fire  of  the  Holstcin 
and  Zealand  was  imperilling  the  Monarch,  and  only 
two  of  the  British  bomb-vessels  had  managed  to 
get  to  their  station,  where  they  were  throwing  their 
shells  at  the  Arsenal  over  both  fleets.     Of  the  gun 

*  Platforms  affixed  to  the  ship's  side  for  spreading  the  lower  rigging. 


1800-1]  Admiral  Parker  s  Signal.  183 

brigs  one  alone  could  manage  to  come  into  action. 
Parker's  Division  lay  idle  and  helpless  in  the  distance. 
The  Elephant  had  not  only  the  guns  of  the  Daiine- 
brog  to  contend  with  ;  two  heavy  praams  were  ham- 
mering at  her,  one  on  the  bow  and  one  on  the 
quarter.  Signals  of  distress  were  flying  aboard  the 
Bellona  and  Russell,  and  the  Agamemnon,  with  simi- 
lar tokens,  was  indicating  her  inability  to  render  the 
servioe  expected  of  her. 

Admiral  Parker,  aboard  the  London,  viewing  the 
scene  from  a  distance,  was  alarmed  for  the  result. 
The  Danes' broadsides  were  incessant  and  furious; 
nothing  seemed  to  have  been  silenced  ;  from  every 
point  of  the  ponderous,  looming  line  of  defence 
flames  were  spitting,  and  the  smoke  of  the  cannon 
rising.  Parker  considered  the  fire  too  hot  for  Nelson 
to  oppose.  A  retreat  must  be  made,  cruelly  mortify- 
ing and  disappointing  as  was  such  an  alternative  to 
the  British  Commander-in-chief.  But  there  was  the 
honour  of  the  high-spirited  gentleman  in  his  motive  : 
"  He  was  aware  of  the  consequences,"  he  said,  "  to 
his  own  personal  reputation  ;  but  it  would  be  cow- 
ardly in  him  to  leave  Nelson  to  bear  the  whole 
shame  of  the  failure,  if  shame  it  should  be  deemed."  * 
Accordingly,  at  about  one  o'clock,  the  signal  was 
thrown  out  on  board  the  London  for  the  action  to 
cease. 

Throughout  the  battle  down  to  this  time  Nelson 
had  been  pacing  the  starboard  side  of  the  quarter- 
deck.    He  was  dressed  in  a  sort  of  blue  greatcoat, 

*  Southey  gives  this  "upon  the  highest  and  most  unquestionable 
authority." 


184  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.42 

epaulets  of  gold  lace,  and  a  plain  cocked-hat,  and 
there  were  several  Orders  on  his  breast.  He  was 
full  of  animation,  "  and,"  Colonel  Stewart  says,  "  he- 
roically fine  in  his  observations."  A  shot  struck  the 
mainmast  and  scattered  a  few  splinters,  on  which, 
looking  at  Colonel  Stewart  with  a  smile,  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  It  is  warm  work,  and  this  day  may  be 
the  last  to  any  of  us  at  a  moment.  But,"  added  he, 
stopping  short  at  the  gangway,  and  speaking  with 
emotion,  "  mark  you,  I  would  not  be  elsewhere  for 
thousands!"  Just  then  the  signal  aboard  the  Lon- 
don was  observed.  It  was  reported  to  Nelson,  who, 
feigning  not  to  hear  or  perhaps  not  hearing,  as  might 
well  be  the  case  amid  such  a  cannonading  as  was 
then  thundering,  continued  to  stump  the  deck  with- 
out speaking.  The  Signal  Lieutenant,  waiting  till 
the  turn  of  the  deck  brought  Nelson  back,  asked  if 
he  should  repeat  the  signal.  "  No  ;  acknowledge 
it,"  said  Nelson.  As  the  officer  was  returning  to 
the  poop.  Nelson  called  to  him:  "Is  No.  16  still 
hoisted  ?  " — this  being  the  signal  for  "  Close  Action  " 
that  was  flying  aboard  the  ElcpJiant.  The  Lieuten- 
ant replied  that  it  was.  "  Mind  you  keep  it  so," 
said  Nelson.  His  irritation  was  now  great  ;  he 
walked  the  deck  with  agitation,  working  the  stump 
of  his  arm.  Suddenly,  addressing  Colonel  Stewart, 
he  exclaimed :  "  Do  you  know  what  's  shown  on 
board  the  Commander-in-chief,  No.  39?"  "What 
does  39  mean  ?  "  inquired  the  Colonel.  "  Why,  to 
leave  off  action,"  answered  Nelson  ;  "  Leave  off 
action  !  "  he  repeated,  "  now,  damn  me  if  I  do  !  "  Cap- 
tain Foley  stood  near.     "  You  know,  Foley,"  he  went 


1800-u  Death  of  Captain  Riou.  185 

on,  "  I  have  only  one  eye — I  have  a  right  to  be  bhnd 
sometimes,"  and  Hfting  the  glass  to  the  eye  whose 
sight  was  gone,  and  levelling  it  at  the  Lo7tdon,  he 
exclaimed,  with  an  archness  that  certainly  was  not 
wanting  in  scorn:  "I  really  do  not  see  the  signal." 
It  was  therefore  merely  acknowledged  on  board  the 
Elephant,  not  repeated.  The  gallant  Rear-Admiral 
Graves,  aboard  the  Defiance,  repeated  it,  but  took 
care  to  send  it  no  higher  than  the  lee  main-topsail 
yard-arm,  where  it  would  scarcely  be  visible  amidst 
the  smoke  ;  whilst  streaming  high  aloft  at  the  main- 
royalmast-head  was  the  signal  for  "  Close  Action," 
clear  to  every  man's  sight  as  a  star  in  the  sky.* 

The  squadron  of  frigates,  however,  obeyed  and 
hauled  off.  They  were  being  hammered  to  pieces ; 
their  services  were  profitless,  and  they  were  wise  to 
retreat.  Captain  Riou  (in  the  Amazon)  who  had 
been  wounded  in  the  head  by  a  splinter,  sat  on  a 
gun  encouraging  his  men.  "  What  will  Nelson  think 
of  us?"  he  exclaimed,  with  bitter  grief  at  having  to 
withdraw.  A  raking  shot  from  the  Trekroner  battery 
killed  his  clerk  who  stood  by  his  side,  and  a  second 
shot  laid  low  a  number  of  marines  who  were  rounding 
in  on  the  main-brace.  The  frigate's  stern  was  upon  the 
fort  when  Riou  was  heard  to  exclaim  :  "  Come  then, 
my  boys,  let  us  die  all  together !  "  As  he  pronounced 
these  words  a  shot  cut  him  in  halves,  and  "  thus  in 

*  The  Rev.  Dr.  Scott  was  Sir  Hyde  Parker's  chaplain  in  the 
London,  and  he  distinctly  affirms  that  "  It  had  been  arranged  between 
the  Admirals  (Parker  and  Nelson)  that,  should  it  appear  that  the  ships 
which  were  engaged  were  suffering  too  severely,  the  signal  for  retreat 
should  be  made,  to  give  Lord  Nelson  the  option  of  retiring  if  he 
thought  fit," — "  Recollections,"  p.  70. 


1 86  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  42 

an  instant,"  says  Colonel  Stewart  "was  the  British 
service  deprived  of  one  of  its  greatest  honours,  and 
society  of  a  character  of  singular  worth,  resembling 
the  heroes  of  romance." 

For  another  long  half-hour  the  contest  continued 
to  rage,  but  somewhere  before  2  P.M.  the  Danish  fire 
slackened,  and  a  little  later  on  ceased  altogether 
along  the  greater  part  of  the  line.  Some  of  the 
lighter  vessels  were  adrift  through  their  cables 
having  been  parted  by  the  cannon-shot.  The  car- 
nage on  board  the  enemy  is  described  as  terrible, 
owing  to  fresh  crews  coming  off  from  the  shore  to 
fight  knee-deep  amongst  the  dead  upon  decks  which 
the  British  guns  had  transformed  into  shambles. 
There  was  much  difficulty  in  taking  possession  of 
the  ships  which  had  struck,  partly  because  of  the 
fire  of  the  Amag  batteries,  and  partly  because  of 
the  shot  discharged  at  the  boats  of  the  captors 
by  the  fresh  drafts,  who  seemed  not  to  know  that 
the  ships  which  they  reinforced  had  hauled  down 
their  colours.  This  was  particularly  the  case  with 
the  Damiebrog.  She  was  on  fire  and  had  hauled 
down  her  flag ;  the  Commodore  had  removed  his 
pennant  and  deserted  her;  yet  new  hands  clambered 
over  her  side  and,  in  ignorance  of  every  right  and 
law  and  custom  of  war,  fired  at  the  boats  which 
approached  to  take  possession.  It  needed  a  renewed 
attack  by  the  Elcphafit  and  Glatton  to  silence  her. 
As  the  smoke  of  these  ships'  guns  cleared  away  the 
Dannebrog  was  seen  to  be  drifting  in  flames  before 
the  wind,  with  her  miserable  crew  throwing  them- 
selves overboard  from  every  port-hole. 


1801]  FCag  of  Truce.  187 

It  was  at  about  half-past  two  that  Nelson  sent  a 
flag  of  truce  ashore.  He  was  determined  to  this 
step  by  the  behaviour  of  the  enemy's  reinforcements. 
Walking  right  aft  to  the  casing  of  the  rudder-head, 
he  wrote  the  celebrated  note  addressed  "  To  the 
brothers  of  Englishmen,  the  Danes."  In  this  com- 
munication he  threatened  to  set  fire  to  all  the  float- 
ing batteries  he  had  taken  unless  the  enemy  discon- 
tinued hostilities.  The  letter  was  written  and 
carefully  folded.  Mr.  Wallis,  the  Elephanf s  purser, 
was  for  securing  it  with  a  wafer ;  but  Nelson  would 
not  allow  this  to  be  done,  and  sent  for  a  stick  of 
sealing-wax.  The  man  who  went  on  this  errand 
had  his  head  taken  off  by  a  cannon-ball ;  this  was 
reported  to  Nelson,  who  simply  said  :  "  Send  an- 
other messenger  for  the  wax."  It  was  respectfully 
submitted  that  there  were  wafers  at  hand.  "  Send 
for  the  sealing-wax !  "  he  roared.  The  letter  was 
thereupon  sealed  with  a  great  quantity  of  Avax, 
which  was  very  carefully  impressed  with  the  Nelson 
arms.  He  was  asked  why,  at  such  a  time,  he  at- 
tached so  much  importance  to  a  circumstance  ap- 
parently trifling.  His  answer  was :  "  Had  I  made 
use  of  a  wafer  it  would  have  been  still  wet  when  the 
letter  was  presented  to  the  Crown  Prince  ;  he  would 
have  inferred  that  the  letter  was  sent  off  in  a  hurry, 
and  that  we  had  some  very  pressing  reasons  for 
being  in  a  hurry.      The  wax  told  no  tales."  *     The 


*  Sir  N.  H.  Nicolas  finds  this  anecdote  (given  in  Clarke  and 
M'Arthur)  corroborated  by  a  letter  from  Wallis,  the  then  purser  of 
the  Elepha7tt,  addressed  to  Haydon  the  painter,  October  ii,  1843. — 
"Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  310, 


1 88  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>ct.42 

letter  was  taken  ashore  by  Captain  Thesiger,  who 
spoke  fluently  the  Danish  language. 

Whilst  the  boat  was  absent  the  remainder  of  the 
enemy's  line  to  the  eastward  of  the  Trckroner 
struck  to  the  furious  broadsides  of  the  ships  ahead 
of  the  Elephant;  their  surrender  was,  however, 
probably  hastened  by  the  approach  of  the  Ramilies 
and  Defence,  belonging  to  Admiral  Parker's  Divi- 
sion. Meanwhile  the  firing  from  the  Crown  battery 
continued,  but  this  was  silenced  by  direction  of  the 
Danish  Adjutant-General  Lindholm,  who  arrived 
with  a  flag  of  truce.  "  The  action,"  Colonel  Stewart 
says,  "lasted  five  hours,"  four  of  which  were  fiercely 
contested.  The  Crown  Prince's  message  was  to 
inquire  the  purport  of  Nelson's,  whose  reply  ran 
thus ;  "  Lord  Nelson's  object  in  sending  on  shore  a 
Flag  of  Truce  is  humanity  ;  he  therefore  consents 
that  hostilities  shall  cease  till  Lord  Nelson  can  take 
his  prisoners  out  of  the  prizes,  and  he  consents 
to  land  all  the  wounded  Danes  and  to  burn  or 
remove  his  prizes."  The  letter  concluded  with  some 
sentences  of  empty  civility.  To  provide  against  a 
refusal  of  his  offer,  he  had  decided,  after  consulting 
Foley  and  Fremantlc,  to  remove  the  fleet  from  the 
intricate  channel  whilst  the  wind  held  fair,  that  the 
ships  might  be  ready  to  act  afresh.  Lindholm  on 
his  arrival  was  referred  to  Admiral  Parker  in  the 
Londo7i,  and  whilst  he  was  gone  a  signal  was  made 
for  the  Glatton,  Elephant,  Ganges,  Defiance,  and 
MonarcJi  to  Aveigh  in  succession.  The  Monarch 
grounded,  but  the  Ganges  fouled  her  amidships  and 
floated  her  off".     The  Glatton   went  clear ;  but  the 


1801]  Suspension  of  Hostilities.  189 

Defiance  and  Elephant  ran  aground  at  a  distance  of  a 
mile  from  the  Crown  battery  and  there  they  stuck. 
HostiHties  had  ceased,  otherwise  these  vessels  must 
have  been  in  extreme  danger  from  the  adjacency  of 
the  Crown  battery,  though  it  is  confidently  stated 
that  had  the  battle  begun  anew,  measures  easily 
within  the  power  of  the  British  would  have  been 
adopted  for  destroying  the  formidable  battery. 
These  measures,  according  to  Mr.  Ferguson,  the 
surgeon  of  the  Elephant  were :  as  the  flag  of  truce 
left  Nelson's  ship,  1,500  of  the  choicest  boarders  of 
the  fleet  entered  fifty  boats  under  the  command  of 
Stewart  and  Fremantle,  "  The  moment  it  could  be 
known  that  the  flag  of  truce  had  been  refused, 
the  boats  were  to  have  pushed  for  the  batteries,  and 
the  fire  of  every  gun  in  the  fleet  would  have  covered 
their  approach."  * 

Nelson,  leaving  his  stranded  liner  at  four  o'clock, 
followed  Lindholm  to  the  London.  His  spirits  were 
depressed  ;  he  appears  to  have  been  shocked  by  the 
explosion  of  the  Dannebrog  and  the  dreadful  slaugh- 
ter of  the  four  or  five  hours  of  conflict.  "  Well,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  have  fought  contrary  to  orders  and  I 
shall  perhaps  be  hanged  ;  never  mind,  let  them."  It 
was  agreed  that  there  should  be  a  suspension  of 
hostilities  for  twenty-four  hours,  that  all  the  prizes 
should  be  surrendered,  and  the  whole  of  the  Danish 
wounded  sent  on  shore. 

The  Elephant  went  afloat  at  eight  that  night. 
Nelson,  in  ignorance  of  this,  remained  on  board  the 
St.  George.     At  the  very  time  when  the  crew  of  the 

*  Clarke  and  M'Arthur.     II.,  420. 


190  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Ct.42 


ship  in  which  he  had  commanded  at  the  battle  were 
pumping,  warping,   straining  every  nerve  to  scrape 
clear  of  the  sand.  Nelson  in  the  cabin  of  the  St.  George 
was  writing  a  letter  to  Lady  Hamilton  and  composing 
verses  to  her.     "  My  dearest  friend,"  he  says,  "  that 
same  Deity  who  has  on  many  occasions  protected 
Nelson,  has  once  more  crowned  his  endeavours  with 
complete  success.     The  difficulty  of  getting  at  the 
Danes  from  sandbanks  was  our  greatest  enemy,  for, 
from  that  event   it  took  us  between  four  and  five 
hours  to  take  all  their  floating  batteries— this  made 
the  battle  severe.     The  Prince  Royal  of  Denmark 
was    a    spectator    and    nearly    killed."     This    letter 
ended,  he  went    to   work  to  produce  some   verses. 
There    has    yet    to    be  painted    a    picture     of    this 
glorious  Sailor  of  imperishable  renown,  seated  in  the 
cabm  of  the  St.  George  on  the  night  of  the  day  of  the 
fierce  and  bloody  battle  of   the    Baltic,  biting   the 
feather  of  his  pen  whilst  he    labours    in    search   of 
rhymes.     The  night  is  still ;  the  dark,  ice-cold  waters 
ripple  stealthily  along  the  bends  ;  the  loud  thunders 
of  the  cannon,  which  sent  a  note  of  storm  for  miles 
around,    are  now    but  a    memory    that    yet    makes 
deeper    the    hush  of  night.     What   are    the    verses 
which  he  produces  ?     They  are  thus  headed  : 

"  LORD  NELSON  TO  HLS  GUARDL\N  ANGEL. 

From  my  best  cable  tho'  I  'm  forced  to  part, 
I  leave  my  Anchor  in  my  Angel's  heart : 
Love,  like  a  pilot,  shall  the  pledge  defend, 
And  for  a  prong  his  hai)picst  (juiver  lend. 


tson  Guardian  Angels.  191 

ANSWER    OF    LORD    NELSON'S   GUARDIAN    ANGEL. 

Go  where y oil  list,  each  thought  of  Angel's  (Emma's)  soul 
Shall  follow  you  from  Indus  to  the  Pole  : 
East,  west,  north,  south,  our  minds  shall  never  part, 
Your  Angel's  loadstone  shall  be  Nelson's  heart. 
Farewell,  and  o'er  the  wide,  wide  sea, 
Bright  glory's  course  pursue. 
And  adverse  winds  to  love  and  me 
Prove  fair  to  fame  and  you  ; 
And  when  the  dreaded  hour  of  battle  's  nigh. 
Your  Angel's  heart,  which  trembles  at  a  sigh, 
By  your  superior  danger,  bolder  grown, 
Shall  dauntless  place  itself  before  your  own, 
Happy,  thrice  happy,  should  her  fond  heart  prove 
-     A  shield  to  Valottr,  Constancy,  and  Love. 

"  St.  George,  April  2nd,  1801,  p  d clock  at  night :  very 
tired  after  a  Jiard-fonght  battle." 

He  writes  to  her  and  of  her  as  his  Guardian  Angel. 
He  had  two  pictures  of  her  with  him  ;  they  were  in 
the  St.  George,  but  when  he  shifted  his  flag  to  the 
ElepJiant  they  were  placed  in  his  cabin  on  board  that 
ship ;  and  so  he  says  to  her  on  April  the  5th  :  "  You 
must  know  you  have  been  in  the  battle,  for  your 
two  pictures,  one  done  by  Miss  Knight  crowning  the 
Rostral  Column,  the  other  done  at  Dresden  (I  call 
them  my  Guardian  Angels ;  and  I  believe  there 
would  be  more  virtue  in  the  prayers  of  Santa  Emma 
than  of  any  saint  in  the  whole  calendar  of  Rome),  I 
carried  on  board  the  ElepJiant  with  me,  and  they  are 
safe,  and  so  am  I,  not  a  scratch."  His  adoration  even 
begets  emotions  of  superstition,  for  some  time  later 
on  we  find  him  writing:  "I  have,  my  dear  Friend, 
taken  it  into  my  head  that  within  these  few  days 


192  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7i.         [^t.  42 

your  picture  has  turned  much  paler  than  it  used  to 
be  ;  it  has  made  me  quite  uneasy.  I  hope  to  God 
you  have  not  been  unwell,  or  any  thing  happened 
which  could  make  you  look  differently  on  me."* 

Early  next  day  (April  3d)  as  dawn  was  break- 
ing, he  went  in  his  gig  to  the  Elephant,  imagining 
the  ship  to  be  still  aground.  Finding  her  water- 
borne,  he  hastily  breakfasted,  and  then  made  a  tour 
of  the  prizes.  It  was  reported  to  him  that  the 
Zealand,  a  Danish  line-of-battle  ship  that  had  been 
the  last  to  strike  and  that  still  lay  under  the  guns  of 
the  Trekroner,  had  refused  to  acknowledge  herself 
captured,  quibbling  about  the  colours  and  the  pen- 
nant not  having  been  hauled  down.  Nelson  went  on 
board  the  ElcpJianten,  whose  commander  proved  an 
old  acquaintance  whom  he  had  known  in  the  West 
Indies.  His  courtesy,  the  fascination  which  his 
magnificent  records  communicated  to  his  least  ges- 
ture, look,  or  word,  his  bland  but  convincing  argu- 
ments, were  such  that  he  not  only  gained  the  point 
in  dispute  about  the  Zealand,  but  left  the  ship  "  as 
much  admired  by  his  enemies  as  he  had  long  been 
by  those  who  were  his  intimate  friends."  f 

Brenton,  in  his  account  of  the  battle  of  Copen- 
hagen, has  a  curious  story  which  must  not  be 
omitted,  though  one  could  wish  it  based  on  a  higher 
authority.  Apparently  it  was  of  the  Zealand  he 
was  thinking  when  he  wrote,  though  he  calls  her 
the  Holstcin.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  says :  "  She  had 
ceased    firing   long   before    the   action   was   discon- 

*  Pettigrew.    II.,  60. 
f  Colonel  Stewart. 


18on  Story  of  the  "Zealand."  193 

tinued  in  other  parts  of  the  Hne — her  colours  were 
down, — and  she  was,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  day, 
claimed  as  prize,  and  refused  by  the  Danish  of^cers 
to  be  given  up  to  us,  her  pennant  being  still  at  the 
mast-head.  Two  British  captains  had  been  sent  to 
demand  her,  but  both  returned  without  effecting 
their  purpose.  Nelson  requested  Sir  Hyde  Parker 
would  send  Captain  R.  W.  Otway  on  this  service, 
and  he  was  despatched  accordingly.  As  he  went 
alongside  the  ship  he  ordered  the  coxswain  of  his 
boat,  a  bold,  brazen-faced,  impudent  fellow,  to  go  up 
into  the  maintop  of  the  Holstein  and  bring  away  the 
pennant  with  him  while  Captain  Otway  was  talking 
with  the  commanding  officer.  The  man  punctually 
executed  his  order,  coming  down  from  the  mast- 
head with  the  pennant  in  his  bosom,  and  placing 
himself  in  his  boat  with  the  most  perfect  composure. 
The  mission  having  again  failed,  Captain  Otway 
repeated  that  the  ship  had  struck  her  colours,  and 
was  a  prize  ;  it  was  at  length  agreed  to  refer  the 
question  to  the  Danish  Commodore,  then  in  the 
Arsenal  and  close  to  the  Holstein.  The  Commodore, 
in  reply  to  Captain  Otway's  demand,  said  that  the 
ship  had  not  struck  her  colours,  that  her  ensign  had 
been  shot  away,  but  that  her  pennant  was  still  flying, 
and  begged  Captain  Otway  to  look  at  it.  Captain 
Otway  soon  convinced  the  mortified  and  astonished 
Commodore  that  the  pennant  was  not  flying,  and  he 
was  compelled  to  own  that  the  ship  was  British 
property.  Otway  lost  not  a  moment,  but  with  the 
assistance  of  the  Ealing  schooner  cut  the  cables, 
and  towed  her  out  from  under  the  Crown  batteries 
13 


l94  ^^^  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         r^t.  42 

where  she  lay.  The  Danes  found  out  the  trick  of 
the  pennant,  and  were  very  indignant  ;  but  the  ship 
having  struck  in  the  action,  the  conduct  of  Captain 
Otway  and  his  coxswain  was  highly  applauded."  * 

On  the  4th  of  April,  Nelson,  accompanied  by 
Captains  Hardy  and  Fremantlc,  visited  the  Prince 
of  Denmark  ashore.  It  is  said  by  some  that  he  was 
received  by  the  populace  with  demonstrations  of 
respect  and  admiration,  but  Colonel  Stewart,  whose 
accuracy  in  all  other  details  of  this  passage  of  his- 
tory is  unimpeachable,  affirms  that  it  needed  a  strong 
guard  to  secure  Nelson's  safety.  Negotiations  lasted 
from  the  4th  till  the  9th,  during  which  the  fleet  were 
actively  occupied  in  refitting  and  making  ready  to 
bombard  Copenhagen  should  hostilities  be  renewed. 
On  the  9th,  Nelson  again  landed,  and  the  crowd  this 
time  was  much  more  orderly.  There  was  still  a 
difficulty  ;  the  Danish  commissioners  honestly  avowed 
their  apprehension  of  the  Court  of  Russia.  Nelson 
bluntly  informed  them  that  his  reason  for  demanding 
a  sixteen  weeks'  armistice  was  that  he  might  have 
time  to  deal  with  the  Russian  fleet  and  then  return 
to  them,  the  Danes!  There  was  much  argument 
and  hesitation,  and  one  of  the  commissioners,  speak- 
ing in  French,  hinted  at  a  renewal  of  hostilities. 
Nelson,  catching  at  the  words,  turned  to  a  friend  and 
exclaimed,  with  heat :  "  Renew  hostilities !  Tell 
him  that  we  are  ready  in  a  moment  ;  ready  to  bom- 
bard this  very  night !  "  The  commissioner  apologised. 
Nevertheless,  the  duration  of  the  armistice  could 
not  be  settled,  and  the  conference  broke  up  that  the 

*  Brenton's  "  Naval  History,"  vol.  i.,  p.  533. 


1801]  Danish  Losses.  195 

Crown  Prince  might  be  consulted.  A  grand  dinner 
had  been  prepared,  and  the  Prince  led  the  way  to 
the  apartment  in  which  the  banquet  was  to  be 
held.  All  the  state-rooms  had  been  denuded  of 
their  furniture  in  anticipation  of  the  bombardment ; 
Nelson,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  a  friend  as  he  went 
upstairs,  and  glancing  round  him,  dryly  whispered : 
"  Though  I  've  only  one  eye  I  see  all  this  will  burn 
very  well."  He  sat  on  the  right  of  the  Prince,  and 
there  was  much  apparent  cordiality.  They  were 
afterwards  closeted,  and  eventually  the  Prince  agreed 
to  an  armistice  of  fourteen  weeks'  duration. 

The  damage  done  the  enemy's  defences  amounted 
very  nearly  to  annihilation.  Most  of  the  floating 
hulks  were  literally  cannonaded  into  staves.  James 
is  of  Colonel  Stewart's  opinion,  that  the  ships  would 
have  been  knocked  to  pieces  in  much  less  time  than 
four  hours  had  Nelson  been  suffered  by  his  hesitat- 
ing and  misgiving  North  Country  pilots  to  occupy  a 
closer  position.  Commodore  Fischer  reckoned  the 
loss  on  his,  the  Danish,  side  at  about  1,800  men.  In 
the  British  fleet  the  killed  numbered  253  and  the 
wounded  688.  The  Danish  hulks  and  block-ships 
were  thus  disposed  of:  the  Provesteen,  Wagner,  Jut- 
land, Siiersishen,  Cronburg,  and  Hajcn  were  taken 
and  burnt ;  the  Rcnsburg  drove  on  the  shoals  and 
was  burnt;  the  Nyburg  and  the  Aggcrstans  sank; 
the  Zealand  was  burnt ;  the  Charlotte-Amelia  was 
burnt  along  with  the  Sohesten ;  the  Indosforethen  was 
also  burnt,  but  the  Hohtein  was  re-equipped  and 
carried  away. 

The  Danes  fought  nobly,  but  it  is  idle  to  attempt 


196  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.  [^t.42 

any  comparison  between  their  courage  and  the  in- 
trepidity of  the  British.  Their  Hnc  of  defence  might 
have  been  deemed  impregnable  of  itself,  seeing  that 
the  bulk  of  their  vessels  were  mere  floating  batteries, 
bristling  with  ordnance,  and  filled  with  men  ;  with- 
out spars  to  fall,  or  manoeuvres  to  execute.  To 
this  must  be  added  the  navigation  of  waters  un- 
known to  the  British,  and  rendered  inexpressibly 
complicated  and  perilous  by  shoals.  But  there  was 
no  sea  difficulty  that  the  genius  of  Nelson  was 
unable  to  surmount.  By  the  help  of  the  lead  he 
felt  his  way  to  the  enemy's  side,  with  just  such 
patience  as  a  Channel  pilot  would  exhibit  off  the 
Goodwin  Sands  in  thick  weather.  His  war  pro- 
gramme was  perfect  ;  he  knew  his  captains  and  his 
men  ;  he  had  confidence  in  them,  and  their  faith  in 
him  was  a  magnificent  enthusiasm.  The  glory  of 
the  issue  is  the  more  remarkable  because  of  the  sort 
of  half-hcartedness  with  which  the  conflict  was  en- 
tered into.  The  Danes  were  in  truth  the  brothers 
of  the  English,  as  they  still  are  ;  it  was  the  wish  of 
the  British  Court,  and  the  Admiralty  instructions 
accentuated  it,  that  Sir  Hyde  Parker's  posture 
should  be  one  of  conciliation,  down  to  the  moment 
when  the  Danes  should  render  a  friendly  attitude 
no  longer  possible.  Yet  there  was  nothing  in  the 
peaceful  disposition  of  the  British  to  weaken  or 
in  any  way  impair  their  extraordinary  prowess  the 
instant  hostilities  began.  It  cannot  be  said  that 
they  fought  the  Danes  as  they  fought  the  French. 
There  was  no  burning  hate,  no  consuming  desire 
to  extinguish.      But  whatever  the  sentiment  of  the 


1801]  Heroism  of  You7ig  Welmoes.  197 

occasion  might  be,  before  all  things  Victory  must 
be  with  the  British  flag  !  and  Nelson  and  his  men 
contrived  that  it  should  be  so. 

Yet,  as  has  been  said,  the  Danes  proved  foes 
worthy  of  the  conquering  nation  which  they  opposed. 
An  instance  of  individual  courage  and  devotion  must 
find  a  place  here.  A  mere  lad  named  Welmoes,  not 
yet  seventeen,  had  the  command  of  a  praam,  a  kind 
of  raft,  armed  with  six  small  cannon,  with  a  crew  of 
twenty-four  men.  He  pushed  or  "  poled  "  off  from 
the  shore  to  under  the  stern  of  the  Elephant,  Nelson's 
ship,  and  attacked  her.  The  marines  aboard  the 
flag-vessel  let  fly  amongst  the  gallant  little  band,  and 
the  slaughter  was  terrible.  Twenty  of  the  twenty- 
four  courageous  fellows  fell,  killed  or  wounded  by 
the  leaden  storm,  but  their  boy-commander,  standing 
up  to  his  waist  amongst  the  dead,  remained  at  his 
post  until  the  truce  was  proclaimed.  Nelson  could 
not  view  such  heroism  in  one  so  young  without 
admiration.  At  the  banquet  at  the  palace,  he  is 
recorded  to  have  spoken  in  raptures  of  the  bravery 
of  the  Danes,  and  particularly  requested  the  Prince 
to  introduce  him  to  young  Welmoes.  This  was 
done ;  he  embraced  the  lad,  and  turning  to  the 
Prince  said  that  the  young  fellow  deserved  to  be 
made  an  admiral  of.  "  If,  my  Lord,"  was  the 
answer,  "  I  were  to  make  all  my  brave  officers 
admirals,  I  should  have  no  captains  or  lieutenants  in 
my  service." 

On  the  1 2th  of  April,  Admiral  Parker  sailed  from 
Copenhagen  road,  leaving  behind  him  the  St.  George 
and  one    or    two    frigates.     The    difficult    channel 


198 


The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.  42 


of  the  Grounds  had  to  be  passed  through,  and  to 
manage  this  most  of  the  men-of-war  transshipped 
their  guns  into  merchant  vessels.  Many  of  them 
went  ashore,  but  all  eventually  contrived  to  go  clear, 
and  to  the  amazement  of  Danes,  Swedes,  Russians, 
and  Prussians,  the  fleet  entered  the  Baltic  by  a 
channel  that  had  been  thought  impracticable. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Pursuit  of  the  fleet  in  a  boat — Blind 
Mrs.  kelson — >,elsonat  Revel — Personal 
habits — Investiture  of  Rear-Admira)  Graves 
— Rev.  W.  Nelson — No  medals  for  Copen- 
hagen— Return  to  England — Fears  of  inva- 
sion— In  the  Downs — Purchase  of  Merton 
Place  —  Death  of  Capt.  Parker  —  Nelson's 
irritability. 

N  the  iSth  of  April  the  5/.  Geor^-^ 
discharged  her  guns  into  a  Yankee 
vessel  and  was  ready  to  follow  Sir  Hyde ;  but 
on  a  sudden  the  wind  came  ahead.  Nelson,  who 
was  on  board  the  SL  George,  received  notice  next 
day  that  the  Swedish  fleet  had  been  sighted  by 
a  look-out  frigate.  His  plans  were  not  to  be 
dominated  by  the  winds.  He  ordered  a  cutter  to 
be  lowered,  and  with  Briarly,  the  mate  of  the 
Beilona,  started  with  six  oars  to  join  the  Commander- 
in-chief,  in  defiance  of  an  adverse  breeze  and  strong 
current,  and  of  a  distance  of  tvvent}'-four  miles 
to  be  measured.  The  air  was  "nipping  and  eager," 
but  Nelson  refused  to  wait  even  for  a  boat-cloak. 
He  jumped  into  the  cutter,  calling  for  Briarly  to 
accompany  him.  "  All  I  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of 
him  could  not,"  says  Briarly  who  relates  the  story, 

199 


200  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         r^t.  42 

"half  so  clearly  prove  to  me  the  singular  and  un- 
bounded zeal  of  this  truly  great  man.  His  anxiety 
in  the  boat  for  nearly  six  hours  lest  the  fleet  should 
have  sailed  before  he  got  on  board  one  of  them,  and 
lest  we  should  not  catch  the  Swedish  squadron,  is 
beyond  all  conception.  I  will  quote  some  expres- 
sions in  his  own  words.  It  was  extremely  cold  and 
I  wished  him  to  put  on  a  great-coat  of  mine  which 
was  in  the  boat :  '  No,  I  am  not  cold.  My  anxiety 
for  my  country  will  keep  me  warm.  Do  you  think 
the  fleet  has  sailed  ? ' — '  I  should  suppose  not,  my 
Lord.' — '  If  they  have  we  will  follow  them  to 
Carlscrona  in  the  boat,  by  God  !  '  "  This  place 
was  fifty  leagues  distant !  He  reached  the  ElepJiant 
at  midnight  and  Briarly  returned  to  the  St.  George. 

He  could  not,  however,  with  impunity  thus  risk  his 
health.  This  five  hours'  row  in  a  bitter  cold  night 
in  an  open  boat  nearly  drove  him  into  a  decline. 
A  week  later  he  was  seized  with  a  terrible  spasm  of 
the  heart  that  almost  killed  him.  "  From  that  time," 
he  writes  to  Lady  Hamilton  under  date  of  June,  "  to 
the  end  of  May  I  brought  up  what  everyone  thought 
was  my  lungs,  and  I  was  emaciated  more  than  you 
can  conceive."  To  this  period  belongs  an  illustration 
of  his  fine  nature.  His  brother  Maurice  died  on  the 
24th  of  April.  Nelson  had  been  in  ignorance  of  his 
home  life;  in  other  words  he  did  not  know  that  the 
woman  who  passed  as  Mrs.  Maurice  Nelson  was  not 
his  brother's  wife.  Her  name  was  Ford ;  she  had  lived 
with  Maurice  many  years,  lost  her  sight  and  become 
a  cripple.  On  hearing  of  his  brother's  death,  he  at 
once  wrote  to  Davison  to  do  "  every  thing  which  is 


l8on        Commander-in-chief  in  the  Baltic.     201 

right  for  his  (brother's)  poor  blind  wife."  And  thus 
he  addresses  the  afflicted  lady  himself :  "  My  dear 
Mrs.  Nelson,  you  are  and  ever  shall  be  considered  by 
me  as  the  honoured  widow  of  my  dear  brother ;  and 
before  I  knew  in  what  circumstances  he  had  left  you  I 
had  desired  our  good  friend,  Mr.  Davison,  to  take  care 
of  you  in  every  manner  which  could  make  you  com- 
fortable ;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  I  consider  myself 
as  only  a  faithful  steward,  and  that  if  any  more 
income  is  wanted  than  the  interest  of  my  brother's 
little  fortune,  that  I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in 
supplying  it,  for  he  was  too  generous  to  be  rich."  * 

On  the  23d  of  April  Sir  Hyde  Parker  received 
dispatches  from  the  Russian  Ambassador  at  Copen- 
hagen, containing  proposals  of  a  pacific  character 
from  Alexander  I.,  who  had  succeeded  the  Czar 
Paul.  The  fleet,  on  this,  returned  to  Kioge  Bay, 
and  shortly  afterwards  Sir  Hyde  sailed  for  England, 
leaving  the  command  in  the  Baltic  to  Nelson.  His 
first  act  was  to  make  the  signal  to  hoist  in  all 
launches  and  prepare  to  weigh.  This  was  on  the 
7th  of  May.  The  ships  now  numbered  seventeen 
sail-of-the-line,  a  54-  and  a  50-gun  ship,  with  a  few 
frigates  and  smaller  vessels.  Of  these,  eight  were 
left  to  cruise  off  Carlscrona  under  Captain  Murray, 
and  Nelson,  with  the  remainder,  headed  with  all 
dispatch  for  the  Gulf  of  Finland.  Revel  Roads  was 
reached  on  the  12th,  but  there  was  no  Russian  fleet 
to   be   seen  ;  it   had,  indeed,  been  liberated  by  the 

*  The  poor  blind  lady  received  an  annuity  of  one  hundred  pounds 
a  year  from  Nelson  until  his  death.  She  was  afterwards  assisted  by 
Lady  Hamilton,  and  died  about  1811. 


202  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  42 

breaking  up  of  the  ice  three  days  before,  and  sailed 
for  Cronstadt.  Nelson's  intentions  were  pacific,  but 
he  was  by  no  means  convinced  of  the  friendly  dis- 
position of  the  Russians.  On  anchoring  at  Revel 
a  message  touching  a  question  of  salutes  to  be  fired, 
was  sent  to  the  Governor.  A  salute  from  the  shore 
was  promised,  but  the  complimentary  thunder  of 
the  British  was  unacknowledged.  Nelson  again  sent 
to  demand  the  reason  of  this  neglect,  and  learned 
that  it  was  owing  to  the  misconduct  of  the  officer 
commanding  the  artillery,  who  was  now  under  arrest. 
Nevertheless,  the  Russians  did  not  return  the  salute 
till  next  day. 

On  the  i6th  of  May  a  communication  was  received 
from  St.  Petersburg,  expressing  surprise  at  the  arrival 
of  a  British  fleet  in  a  Russian  port,  and  declining 
Nelson's  proposed  visit  to  the  capital  if  he  brought 
with  him  more  than  a  single  ship.  There  came  with 
tliis  letter  another  from  the  Governor,  desiring  that 
the  fleet  should  retire  from  the  anchorage  of  Revel. 
Nelson  was  much  agitated.  He  took  his  place  at 
the  dinner  table  but  said  little,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  meal  quitted  his  seat  and  sent  for  his  secretary 
to  read  the  answer  he  had  been  meditating,  and  had 
withdrawn  to  write.  His  answer  being  despatched, 
the  signal  to  weigh  was  made,  and  before  dark  the 
ships  were  standing  as  far  to  sea  as  was  considered 
safe. 

Colonel  Stewart  *  gives  some  interesting  particulars 


*  This  gallant  officer's  excellent  account  of  the  battle  of  Copenhagen 
will  be  found  in  Clarke  and  M 'Arthur.  Nelson  was  fortunate  in  his 
"special   correspondents."     Nothing  could  be   better   than    Drink- 


LORD   NELSON,   K.   P. 

AFTER  A  PAINTING  BY  A.  W.  DL-Vli 


1801]  Personal  Habits.  203 

of  Nelson's  personal  habits  at  this  time.  He  rose 
every  morning  between  four  and  five  o'clock,  break- 
fasted at  six,  sometimes  much  earlier,  and  was  in 
bed  by  ten.  The  breakfast-party  always  included 
one  or  two  midshipmen,  and  he  would  often,  during 
the  middle-watch — that  is,  between  twelve  and  four 
o'clock, — send  the  little  fellows  an  invitation  to  break- 
fast after  they  should  come  off  duty  at  four  o'clock. 
A  treat  indeed  for  the  lads  to  look  forward  to  !  At 
table  he  would  joke  with  the  merriest  of  them  and 
be  the  most  youthful  of  the  party.  At  dinner  every 
ofificer  of  the  ship  was  his  guest  in  turn,  and  Colonel 
Stewart  describes  him  as  a  host  in  an  eminent  degree 
polished  and  hospitable.  The  whole  business  of  the 
fleet  was  invariably  despatched  before  eight  o'clock. 
No  man  ever  more  keenly  appreciated  the  value  of 
time.  In  conversing  once  with  General  Twiss,  Nel- 
son exclaimed:  "Time,  Twiss — time  is  everything. 
Five  minutes  make  the  difference  between  a  victory 
and  a  defeat."  His  example  in  this  respect  com- 
municated such  a  spirit  of  alertness  throughout  his 
ships  as  could  only  be  thoroughly  understood  by 
those  who  bore  a  part  in  the  discipline  and  routine 
of  the  fleet. 

At  Rostock  he  was  received  with  the  utmost  ven- 
eration. Deputations  from  distant  inland  towns 
came  aboard  the  St.  George  to  request  that  he  would 
write  his  name  in  the  public  books  of  record  they 


water's  "St.  Vincent,"  than  Cooper  \Yyllyam's  "Nile,"  or  than 
Stewart's  "Copenhagen."  Dr.  Scott,  the  chaplain  of  Nelson,  missed 
a  magnificent  opportunity  at  Trafalgar.  Probably  because  through- 
out the  battle  he  was,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  cockpit. 


204  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  42 

brought  with  them.  Boats  hung  about  the  flag- 
ship filled  with  people  eager  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  him.  But  he  did  not  again  land ;  his  mind  was 
ill  at  ease,  and  when  there  was  anxiety  with  him  his 
health  invariably  suffered. 

The  St.  George  made  her  last  cruise  with  Nelson's 
flag  flying  off  Bornholm  between  the  9th  and  13th 
of  June,  on  which  day  he  received  the  official 
sanction  to  return  to  England,  together  with  in- 
structions from  the  King  to  invest  Rear-Admiral 
Graves  with  the  Order  of  the  Bath.  There  is  a  de- 
scription of  this  investiture  in  the  Naval  Chronicle.'^ 
A  chair  was  placed  on  the  grating  of  the  skylight  on 
the  quarter-deck,  with  the  Royal  Standard  suspended 
over  it ;  a  guard  was  ranged  on  each  side.  Nelson 
came  up  the  ladder  first,  and  made  three  reverences 
to  the  chair,  which  represented  the  Throne.  Cap- 
tain Parker  bore  the  sword  oT  state — the  sword  that 
had  been  presented  to  Nelson  by  the  captains  who 
had  fought  under  him  at  the  Nile  ;  all  the  captains 
of  the  fleet  in  full-dress  uniforms  attended.  On 
Rear-Admiral  Graves  being  introduced,  he  bowed 
thrice  to  the  Throne  and  once  to  Nelson,  then  knelt, 
and  Nelson  laid  the  sword  upon  him,  afterwards 
placing  the  Riband  on  the  new  knight's  shoulder,  and 
the  Star  on  his  left  breast.  After  a  short  speech 
from  Nelson  the  whole  fleet  fired  a  salute  of  twenty- 
one  guns,  and  the  otandr-zd  was  hauled  down. 

Nelson  was  made  a  Viscount  for  the  battle  of 
Copenhagen.  The  patent  of  entail  of  his  rank  was 
announced   in   August,    1801,   though   the  creation, 

*  Vol.  v.,  532. 


Tnm  PMnrnf':  "  Lit,  „f  NiUmr 


I80tl  Created  a    Viscount.  205 

according  to  Nicolas,  dated  from  May  22d.  The 
preface  to  the  patent  ran  thus  :  "  His  Majesty  is 
graciously  pleased,  in  consideration  of  the  great  and 
important  services  that  Renowned  Man,  Horatio 
Viscount  Nelson,  hath  rendered  to  his  King  and 
Country ;  and  in  order  to  perpetuate  to  the  latest 
posterity  the  remembrance  of  his  Glorious  Actions, 
and  to  incite  others  to  imitate  his  Example,  to  grant 
the  dignity  of  a  Baron  of  his  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  the  said  Horatio  Vis- 
count Nelson,  K.B.,  and  Vice-Admiral  of  the  Blue 
Squadron  of  His  Majesty's  Fleet,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  by 
the  name,  style,  and  title  of  Baron  Nelson  of  the 
Nile  and  of  Hilborough,  in  his  County  of  Norfolk." 
By  this  patent  of  entail  the  extinction  of  the 
Barony  from  failure  of  heirs  male  was  provided 
against.  It  was  to  go  to  his  father;  failing  him  or 
male  issue  of  his  body,  it  was  to  extend  to  the  heirs 
male  of  Nelson's  sisters,  Mrs.  Bolton,  and  next  Mrs. 
Matcham. 

The  Rev.  William  Nelson,  of  whom  the  Hero 
would  sometimes  write  to  Lady  Hamilton  in  some- 
what contemptuous  terms,* — this  gentleman  who  had 
a  deal  of  the  prig  in  him,  who  sat  at  Lady  Hamil- 
ton's feet  when  he  believed  she  had  influence 
enough  to  obtain  preferment  for  him,  and  who 
neglected  and  wronged  her  after  Nelson's  death — 

*  "  My  brother  has  a  bluntness,  and  a  want  of  fine  feelings,  which 
we  are  not  used  to  ;  but  he  means  nothing."  (Feb.  i6,  1801.) — 
"  Reverend  Sir  you  will  find  a  great  bore  at  times,  therefore  he  ought 
to  amuse  himself  all  the  mornings,  and  not  always  to  dine  with  you, 
as  Sir  William  may  not  like  it."  (March  i,  1801.) — Pettigrew.  I., 
426-434. 


2o6  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        t^t.  42 

this  Rev.  William  Nelson,  who  makes  the  very 
shabbiest  of  figures  in  the  books  which  have  been 
written  about  his  brother,  and  who,  after  Trafalgar, 
became  the  first  Earl  Nelson,  was  not  a  little  aston- 
ished by  the  family  behaviour  when  news  came 
of  the  honours  to  be  conferred  on  Horatio.  "  My 
dear  I  ady  Hamilton,"  he  writes  on  August  6,  i8oi, 
dating  his  letter  at  Hilborough,  "  you  can  easily 
conceive  what  joy  your  letter  gave  me  this  morn- 
ing ;  thank  God  our  great,  glorious,  and  invincible 
friend  is  safe.  I  was  at  SwafTham  when  I  received 
it,  and  read  the  Gazette  honours  to  my  father.  He 
made  but  little  observation  upon  it,  only  said  he 
liked  him  as  vjeW  plain  Horace  as  with  all  these  high- 
sounding  titles  ;  that  may  be  true,  but  still  I  could 
have  wished  him  to  have  appeared  pleased  with  the 
prospect  of  his  family  honours  descending  to  his 
posterity,  and  I  could  not  help  remarking  to  him, 
that  we  ought  not  to  be  like  the  selfish  man,  who  is 
reported  to  have  said  :  '  Why  should  I  care  for 
posterity,  for  posterity  never  cared  for  mc  ?  '  Mrs. 
liolton  made  no  remarks,  nor  seemed  in  the  least 
elated  or  pleased  ;  indeed,  to  say  the  truth,  there 
appears  a  gloom  about  them  all,  for  what  reason 
I  cannot  devise,  unless  they  are  uneasy."  They 
were  probably  uneasy  at  the  prospect  of  the  Rev. 
William  one  day  inheriting  honours  which  he  could 
not  but  deform.  Yet  the  title  came  ultimately, 
in  the  shape  of  an  Earldom,  to  the  posterity  of  that 
same  Mrs.  Bolton,  who  was  one  of  the  uneasy  ones. 
There  were  no  medals  given  for  Copenhagen. 
Nelson  felt  tliis  bitterly  down  to  the  latest  hour 
of  his  life.     For  himself  he  was  sensible  with  most 


I80n  No  Medals  for  Copenhagen.  207 

men  that  the  title  of  Viscount  was  an  inadequate 
recognition  of  the  magnificent  services  he  had  done 
his  country.  But  he  felt  also  yet  more  bitterly  that 
his  own  honours  were  attended  with  but  the  scanti- 
est inclusion  of  the  claims  of  those  who  had  enabled 
him  to  achieve  a  glorious  and  all-important  victory. 
So  late  as  June,  1804,  the  King's  neglect  of  the  offi- 
cers and  men  of  the  fleet  who  had  won  the  battle  of 
Copenhagen  was  pressing  with  heavy  vexation  upon 
his  loyal,  generous  heart.  "  I  am  aware,"  he  wrote 
to  Lord  Melville,  at  this  date,  "  that  his  Majesty 
has  the  most  undisputed  right  to  bestow  Medals,  or 
to  with-hold  them  as  he  pleases.  No  man  admits  it 
more  fully  than  myself ;  but,  my  Lord,  I  turn  back 
to  the  1st  of  June,  1794  ;  from  that  moment  I  have 
ever  considered  that  his  Majesty,  by  implication, 
pronounced  these  words  to  his  fleet,  holding  forth 
the  Medal :  '  This,  my  Fleet,  is  the  great  reward 
which  I  will  bestow  for  great  and  important  victories 
like  the  present  ! '  Considering  this  as  a  solemn 
pledge,  his  Majesty  gave  it  as  a  reward  for  the 
Battles  of  St.  Vincent,  of  Camperdown,  and  the 
Nile :  then  comes  the  most  difficult  achievement, 
the  hardest  fought  battle,  the  most  glorious  result 
that  ever  graced  the  Naval  Annals  of  our  Country : 
the  Medal  is  withheld,  for  what  reason  Lord  St. 
Vincent  best  knows."  The  reason  probably  was,  the 
King  was  opposed  to  the  memorialisation  of  a  pas- 
sage in  his  reign  which  he  desired  to  see  buried  in 
oblivion.  Yet  this  battle,  for  which  no  medals  were 
given,  broke  up  the  menacing  Northern  Confedera- 
tion, defeated  the  subtle  policy  of  France,  caused 
the  Russians  and  the  Swedes  to  take  off  the  embargo 


2o8  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         l^t.  42 

that  had  been  laid  on  British  vessels  in  their  ports, 
and  re-established  amicable  relations  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  three  Northern  Powers. 

Nelson  left  the  Baltic  in  a  small  brig,  the  Kite,  on 
the  19th  of  June,  and  arrived  at  Yarmouth  on  the 
1st  of  July.  A  paragraph  in  the  Naval  Chronicle 
of  1801,  announcing  his  return  to  England,  states 
that  immediately  on  landing  he  went  to  the  hos- 
pital to  visit  the  sick  and  wounded  men  who  had 
been  brought  there  after  the  battle  of  Copenhagen. 
The  Wrestlers'  Inn,  made  famous  by  his  visits  to  it, 
was  now  called  Nelson's  Hotel ;  having  taken  some 
refreshment  at  that  house  he  left  Yarmouth  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  was  accompanied  as  far 
as  Lowestoft  by  a  troop  of  cavalry.  On  his  arrival 
in  London  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Sir  William 
Hamilton's,  in  Piccadilly.  A  party  consisting  of  the 
Rev.  William  and  Mrs.  Nelson,  their  son  and  daugh- 
ter, and  Nelson's  favourite,  Captain  E.  T.  Parker, 
had  assembled  to  meet  him.  London  was  hot  and 
deserted  ;  Sir  William  Hamilton  was  fond  of  fishing ; 
Lady  Hamilton  considered  a  frequent  change  of  air 
necessary  to  Nelson's  health  ;  so  the  whole  party 
went  to  Box  Hill,  and  afterwards  to  the  Bush  Inn,  at 
Staines.  The  members  of  the  party  were  described 
with  some  humour  by  Lord  William  Gordon  in  a 
copy  of  verses  addressed  to  Lady  Hamilton.  He 
laments  his  inability  to  join  them  at  the  Bush  Inn: 

"  There  to  have  witnessed  Father  Thames's  pride 
\Miile  Anthony  by  Cleopatra's  side — 
While  you,  I  mean,  and  Ilenr)', — In  a  wherry, 
Are  cheek  by  jole  afloat  there,  making  merry." 


1801]  Fears  of  an  Invasion.  209 

"  Henry  "  was,  of  course,  Nelson.  The  holiday  was 
of  short  duration.  Alarming  rumours  of  the  in- 
tended invasion  of  England  by  France  had  been  for 
some  time  current.  There  was  great  activity  along 
the  Dutch,  French,  and  Flemish  shores.  Camps  had 
been  formed  at  Ostend,  at  Boulogne,  and  between 
Gravelines  and  Dunkirk;  and  more  significant  yet 
was  the  assurance  that  the  naval  force  of  France 
combined  with  that  of  Spain  represented  a  fleet  of 
fifty-two  ships  of  the  line  lying  in  the  harbour  of 
Brest.  It  is  pretended  that  the  alarm  in  this  country- 
was  not  very  great,  but  it  is  certain  that  ministers 
considered  it  sufificiently  lively  to  be  worth  allaying. 
There  was  but  one  remedy,  and  that  must  be  Nelson. 
Yet  the  command  that  was  now  given  to  him  was 
unworthy  of  his  genius  and  fame — far  fitter,  indeed, 
for  an  Orde,  a  Calder,  or  a  Ludwidge  than  for  the 
Hero  of  the  Nile  and  of  Copenhagen,  He  was  ap- 
pointed by  a  Commission,  bearing  date  the  24th 
of  July,  Commander-in-chief  of  a  squadron  of  the 
king's  ships  to  be  employed  in  the  defence  of  the 
mouths  of  the  Thames  and  Medway,  and  of  the 
coasts  of  Sussex,  Kent,  and  Essex.  The  Amazon 
was  to  be  prepared  for  his  reception  ;  but  meanwhile 
he  was  to  hoist  his  flag  aboard  any  ship  he  might 
choose  of  his  squadron,  and  to  cruise  off  the  districts 
named  and  watch  the  coast. 

On  the  27th  of  July  his  flag  was  flying  on  board 
the  Unit^  frigate  at  Sheerness.  He  wrote,  under 
this  date,  humorously  to  his  dearest  Emma  :  "  To- 
day I  dined  with  Admiral  Grseme,  who  has  also  lost 

his  right  arm,  and  as  the  Commander  of  the  Troops 
14 


2  lo  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        t^t.  42 


has  lost  his  leg,  I  expect  we  shall  be  caricatured  as 
the  lavie  defenders  of  England."  Captain  Parker, 
who  was  with  him,  describes  Nelson's  health  as  at 
this  time  extremely  good.  He  was  received  at 
Sheerness  "  by  the  acclamations  of  the  people,  who 
looked  with  wild  and  most  affectionate  amazement 
at  him,  who  was  once  more  going  to  step  forward  in 
defence  of  his  country."  *  With  wonderful  rapidity 
he  gave  orders,  dealing  with  thirty  of  the  ships 
under  his  command.  The  moment  he  appeared, 
everything  was  in  motion.  His  movements  may  be 
followed,  to  an  extent,  in  his  correspondence  with 
Lady  Hamilton,  On  July  29th  he  left  Sheerness 
for  Deal,  halting  on  his  way  at  Faversham  to  ex- 
amine into  the  state  of  a  'longshore  force,  called  the 
Sea  Fencibles,  which  had  been  raised  by  Captain, 
afterwards  Sir,  Home  Popham  in  1799  for  the  de- 
fence of  the  coast.  He  arrived  at  Deal  at  nine 
o'clock,  and  went  to  the  house  of  his  old  friend, 
Admiral  Ludwidge,  where  he  supped,  not  having 
tasted  a  morsel  since  seven  in  the  morning.  Next 
morning  he  hoisted  his  flag  aboard  the  Leydcn,  64 ; 
but,  meanwhile,  he  had  sent  for  the  Medusa  frigate, 
in  which  ship,  he  tells  Lady  Hamilton,  he  means  to 
go  over  to  the  coast  of  France. 

On  the  3d  of  August  his  flag  was  flying  aboard  the 
Medusa.  There  were  about  thirty  vessels,  great  and 
small,  under  his  charge,  and  with  this  force  he 
weighed  for  Boulogne — the  central  rendczvo7is  of 
the  grand  flotilla, — where  was  to  be  assembled,  ac- 

*  E,  T.  Parker  to  Lady  Hamilton.  "  Parker,"  writes  Nelson,  "  sits 
next  me  to  cut  my  meat  when  I  want  it  done." — Pettigrew,  II.,  135. 


1801]  In  the  Downs.  211 

cording  to  Buonaparte's  order,  dated  12th  of  July, 
nine  divisions  of  gun-vessels,  nine  battalions  of 
troops,  with  several  detachments  of  artillery,  under 
the  command  of  Rear-Admiral  La  Touche-Tr6ville. 
This  flotilla  was  bombarded  by  Nelson  on  the  4th 
of  August.  The  craft  consisted  of  twenty-four  brigs, 
lugger-rigged  flats,  and  a  schooner;  of  which  three 
flats  and  a  brig  were  sunk,  and  others  driven  on 
shore.  The  French  represent  the  damage  as  much 
smaller  than  this.  It  was,  in  any  case,  inconsider- 
able. On  the  15th  there  was  another  attempt. 
The  armed  boats  of  Nelson's  squadron  were  formed 
into  four  divisions,  and  at  half-past  eleven  o'clock  at 
night  put  off  from  the  Medusa  in  excellent  order ; 
but  the  tide  completed  the  work  of  the  obscurity  of 
the  hour,  and  the  boats  separated.  The  first  divi- 
sion, under  Captain  Somerville,  was  swept  to  the 
eastward  of  Boulogne.  A  brig  was  attacked  and 
carried,  but  she  was  secured  by  a  chain,  and  nothing 
could  be  done  with  her.  In  this  affair,  eighteen 
of  the  English  were  killed  and  fifty-five  wounded. 
The  second  division,  under  Captain  Parker,  impetu- 
ously boarded  an  enemy's  brig,  but  were  repulsed, 
with  the  loss  of  twenty-one  killed  and  forty-two 
wounded,  amongst  the  latter  being  Parker,  whose 
wound  proved  fatal.  The  attempts  of  the  third 
division,  under  Captain  Cotgrave,  were  equally  fruit- 
less, and  the  loss  amongst  them  was  five  killed  and 
twenty-nine  wounded.  The  fourth  division,  under 
Captain  Jones,  was  carried  so  far  to  the  eastward 
by  the  tide  that  it  was  unable  to  co-operate,  and 
returned  profitlessly  to  the  Squadron, 


212  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  43 

Amidst  all  the  anxieties,  however,  of  his  Downs' 
command,  Nelson  could  find  leisure  to  give  expres- 
sion to  a  wish  that  had  been  uppermost  for  some 
time  ;  namely,  that  Lady  Hamilton  should  purchase 
for  him  a  good,  comfortable  house.  Upon  this  sub- 
ject he  writes  to  her  on  August  the  15th,  heading  his 
letter  "  Medusa,  off  Boulogne."  The  commission 
was  accepted  by  his  "  Guardian  Angel,"  and  it  re- 
sulted in  her  choosing  for  him  what  Mr.  J.  C.  Jeaf- 
freson  calls  "  a  cheery,  well-built,  homely  villa,  skirted 
with  shrubberies,  nestled  in  finely  timbered  paddocks, 
and  within  an  easy  drive  from  Hyde  Park  Corner."  ^ 
The  property  was  called  Merton  Place.  Sir  William 
Hamilton,  on  the  i6th  of  October,  wrote  thus  of 
his  wife's  investment  of  Nelson's  money  :  "  I  have 
lived  with  our  dear  Emma  several  years.  I  know 
her  merit,  have  a  great  opinion  of  the  head  and 
heart  that  God  Almighty  has  been  pleased  to  give 
her,  but  a  seaman  alone  could  have  given  a  fine 
woman  full  power  to  choose  and  fit  up  a  residence 
for  him  without  seeing  it  himself."  But  Merton 
Place  was  merely  another  form  of  Nelson's  old  quarter- 
deck dream  of  a  cottage  ;  only  instead  of  Fanny  it 
was  to  be  Emma.  "  It  would  make  you  laugh,"  Sir 
William  goes  on  in  this  same  letter,  "  to  see  Emma 
and  her  mother  f  fitting  up  pig-stys  and  hen-coops, 
and  already  the  canal  is  enlivened  with  ducks,  and 
the  cock  is  strutting  with  his  hens  about  the  walks."  % 

Meanwhile  he  had  been  grieved  to  the  heart  by 

*  "  Lady  Hamilton  and  Lord  Nelson,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  237. 
\  She  was  called  "  Mrs.  Cadogan." 
\  Pettigrew.     IL,  224. 


1801]  Death  of  Captain  Parker.  213 

the  death  of  his  favourite  little  Parker,  his  "gallant 
good  friend  and  able  assistant,"  as  he  called  him. 
He  had  been  shot  in  the  thigh,  and  the  bone  was 
broken  in  three  places.  He  died  on  the  27th  of 
September,  after  languishing  in  great  suffering,  some- 
times inspiring  hope,  but  most  often  despaired  of. 
"  Dear  Parker,"  writes  Nelson  to  Lady  Hamilton, 
"left  this  world  for  a  better  at  nine  o'clock;  I  be- 
lieve we  ought  to  thank  God.  He  suffered  much, 
and  can  suffer  no  more.  I  have  no  one  to  comfort 
me."  And  in  a  postscript  to  the  letter  he  exclaims: 
"My  heart  is  almost  broke,  and  I  see  I  have  wrote 
nonsense  ;  I  know  not  what  I  am  doing."  The  re- 
mains of  the  gallant  fellow — and  gallant  and  good 
we  may  be  sure  he  was,  to  have  won  the  love  of 
Nelson — were  interred  at  Deal  in  the  burial-ground 
of  St.  George's  Church.  Nelson  took  care  that  the 
funeral  should  be  conducted  with  all  the  honours 
which  were  due  to  his  deceased  friend's  rank  and 
admirable  character.  He  attended  as  chief  mourner. 
The  ships  in  the  Downs  flew  their  pennants  at  half- 
mast  high  ;  their  }'ards  were  cock-billed  as  an  ex- 
pression of  mourning,  and  until  the  hour  of  noon 
minute  guns  were  fired  from  the  Amazon  and  the 
shore  alternately.  The  cost  of  the  burial  Nelson 
himself  defrayed.  "  The  Admiralty,"  he  tells  Lady 
Hamilton  (September  20th),  "  have  refused  to  bury 
Captain  Parker.  He  might  have  stunk  above  ground, 
or  been  thrown  in  a  ditch ;  the  expense  of  that  and 
lodging,  etc.,  has  cost  me  near  ^200,  and  I  have  taken, 
poor  fellow,  all  his  debts  on  myself,  if  the  creditors 
will  give  me  a  little  time  to  find  the  money." 


214  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  43 

In  September,  whilst  still  wearily  holding  his  com- 
mand in  the  Downs,  in  bad  health  and  suffering 
much  from  mental  depression,  he  was  attacked  by  a 
rogue  named  Hill  in  a  pamphlet  or  paper  which  pro- 
fessed to  consist  of  remarks  on  the  Boulogne  affair. 
The  fellow,  who  called  himself  "  a  seaman,"  impu- 
dently forwarded  his  little  bundle  of  trash  to  Nelson 
with  a  note  in  which  he  said  that  if  the  Admiral 
desired  the  "  enclosed  not  to  be  inserted  in  the 
newspapers,  he  will  please  to  inclose  by  return  of  post 
a  banknote  of  p^ioo  to  Mr.  Hill,  to  be  left  at  the 
Post  Office  till  called  for,  London."  Nelson  wrote  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty  to  request  their 
Lordships  to  send  proper  people  "  to  take  up 
whoever  comes  for  Mr.  Hill's  letter."  A  porter 
applied  and  was  seized,  but  the  fellow  either  did  not 
or  would  not  know  his  employer.  In  spite  of  the 
Admiralty's  action,  however.  Nelson  thought  proper 
to  write  to  the  villain  as  follows:  "  Mr.  Hill, — Very 
likely  I  am  unfit  for  my  present  command,  and 
whenever  Government  change  me,  I  hope  they  will 
find  no  difficulty  in  selecting  an  officer  of  greater 
abilities ;  but  you  will,  I  trust,  be  punished  for 
threatening  my  character.  But  I  have  not  been 
brought  up  in  the  school  of  fear,  and  therefore  care 
not  what  you  do.  I  defy  you  and  your  malice. — 
Nelson  and  Bronte." 

His  command  in  the  Downs  was  of  a  kind  to  fill 
him  with  disgust.  "  I  own,  my  dear  Lord,"  he  writes 
to  St.  Vincent  (August  1 3th),  "  that  this  Boat-warfare 
is  not  exactly  congenial  to  my  feelings,  and  I  find  I 
get  laughed  at  for  my  puny  mode  of  attack."     Day 


1801]  Sickness  and  Irritability.  215 

after  day  he  lay  rolling  in  that  famous  roadstead,  as 
seasick  as  a  young  lady,  divorced  from  his  friends, 
ill  of  a  bowel  complaint,  and  without  an  oppor- 
tunity of  further  distinction.  Little  wonder  that  he 
felt  sore  and  wrote  sorely,  with  the  memories  of  St. 
Vincent,  and  the  Nile,  and  Copenhagen  fresh  in 
him.  The  contrast  established  by  this  bleak,  bare, 
uncomfortable  duty  of  sentinelling  could  not  but 
prove  fruitful  of  mortification  and  angry  reflection. 
He  found  Deal  the  coldest  place  in  the  world.  Of 
Troubridge,  who  was  now  one  of  "  My  Lords,"  he  can- 
not speak  with  too  much  anger.  "  Troubridge  writes 
me,"  he  exclaims,  "  that  as  the  weather  is  set  in  fine 
again  he  hopes  I  shall  get  walks  on  shore  !  He  is,  I 
suppose,  laughing  at  me."  "  I  believe  the  fault  is 
all  his,"  he  writes  again  (October  14th)  of  his  old 
friend,  "  and  he  ought  to  have  recollected  that  I  got 
him  the  medal  of  the  Nile.  Who  upheld  him  when 
he  would  have  sunk  under  grief  and  mortification? 
Who  placed  him  in  such  a  situation  in  the  Kingdom 
of  Naples  that  he  got,  by  my  public  letter,  titles,  the 
Colonelcy  of  Marines,  diamond-boxes,  from  the  King 
of  Naples,  1,000  ounces  in  money,  for  no  expenses 
that  I  know  of?  Who  got  him  ;^500  a  year  from 
the  King  of  Naples  ?  And  however  much  he  may 
abuse  him,  his  pension  will  be  regularly  paid.  Who 
brought  his  character  into  notice?  Look  at  my 
public  letters.  Nelson,  that  Nelson  that  he  now 
Lords  it  over.  So  much  for  gratitude.  I  forgive 
him,  but,  by  God,  I  shall  not  forget  it  !  He  enjoys 
showing  his  power  over  me.  Nevermind;  altogether 
it  will  shorten  my  days.     The   day   is  very  bad — 


2 1 6  The  Life  of  Horatio  N'elson.         [>Et.  43 

blows,  rains,  and  a  great  sea;  my  complaint  is  re- 
turned from  absolutely  fretting;  and  was  it  not  for 
the  kindness  of  all  about  me,  they,  damn  them, 
would  have  done  me  up  long  ago." 

Sir  Harris  Nicolas  suggests,  and  probably  with 
justice,  that  much  of  this  irritability  in  Nelson  was 
owing  to  the  wound  that  he  had  received  in  the  head 
at  the  Nile.  Certainly  he  had  no  rational  reason  to 
doubt  Troubridge's  love  for  and  loyalty  to  him. 

But,  as  has  been  said,  his  melancholy  situation  in 
the  Downs  would  also  account  for  many  effusions 
of  temper.  To  be  lying  at  anchor  for  days  at  a 
time,  restlessly  tossed  by  the  short  staggering  run  of 
the  Foreland  seas ;  to  be  nipped  by  the  advanced 
autumn  winds  of  an  exposed  roadstead ;  to  hold 
within  view  for  weeks  nothing  gayer  than  the  flat 
foreshore  of  the  Sandwich  district  and  the  small  sea- 
fronting  structures  of  the  town  of  Deal,  with  its 
stretch  of  shingle  and  depressing  play  of  surf ;  to  be 
so  much  the  sport  of  the  capricious  weather  of  that 
part  of  the  British  coast  as  often  to  be  unable  to 
send  a  letter  ashore,  and  when  on  shore  to  be  hin- 
dered by  the  breakers  foaming  upon  the  beach  from 
regaining  the  ship  :  this  was  Nelson's  life  at  this 
time,  and  it  needs  but  a  very  small  appreciation  of 
the  character  of  these  tedious,  uneventful  experi- 
ences of  his  to  sympathise  with  the  irritability  that 
possessed  him  when  he  directed  his  thoughts  to 
"My  Lords." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


V   'J    Political  'speeches — St.  Vincent  on 
y      Canada — l)ealliof  Rev.  E.  Nelson 
— Nelbon  and  the  liamiltons — Visit 
to  Wales  —  War  with  France — Buona- 
parte and  Lord  Whitworth — Nelson's  income — 
Death  of  Sir  Wm.  Hamilton — Appointed  Com- 
mander-in-chief on  the  Mediterranean  station — 
Letter  from  the  King  of  Naples — Blockading — 
A  revolution  in  sea-affairs — Crazy  ships — Fears 
for  his  eyesight — Bay  of  Palmas. 

E  was  released  on  leave,  and  on  the 
22d  of  October  went  to  Merton,  his 
own  property,  which  he  had  not  before  visited.  On 
the  29th  he  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords,  his 
introducers  being  Viscounts  Sydney  and  Hood.  Of 
the  few  speeches  he  delivered  there  is  not  much  to  be 
said  beyond  that  they  have  every  characteristic  of  a 
plain,  honest,  sagacious,  sailorly  mind.  In  that  of  the 
3d  of  November,  however,  it  is  remarkable  to  find 
Nelson,  who  was  eminent  before  all  things  for  fore- 
sight, ridiculing  the  possession  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  by  the  British.  He  contemptuously  described 
Table  Bay  as  a  tavern,  useful  merely  for  ships  to 
look  into  during  the  voyage  to  India.     When  the 

2x7 


2 1 8  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.  43 

Dutch,  he  said,  had  it,  a  cabbage  was  to  be  bought 
for  twopence,  but  since  the  settlement  had  come 
into  English  hands  the  price  of  a  cabbage  was  a  shil- 
ling. It  was  only  to  be  held  at  an  enormous  expense, 
and  it  was  without  usefulness  to  justify  the  cost  it 
put  the  country  to.  This  may  be  paralleled  by  Lord 
St.  Vincent's  prophecy  respecting  Canada.  When, 
in  1783,  Lord  Shelburne's  peace  was  signed,  Jervis 
was  sent  for,  that  his  opinion  might  be  taken. 
"There  is  a  great  omission!  "  he  exclaimed. — "  In 
what  ?  " — "  In  leaving  Canada  as  a  British  province." 
— "  How  could  we  possibly  give  it  up  ?  "  asked  Lord 
Shelburne. — "  How  can  you  hope  to  keep  it  ?"  re- 
joined the  Admiral.  "  With  an  English  Republic 
just  established  on  the  side  of  Canada,  and  with  a 
handful  of  English  settled  among  a  body  of  heredi- 
tary Frenchmen — it  is  impossible  :  and  rely  on  it, 
you  only  retain  a  running  sore,  the  source  of  endless 
disquiet  and  expense." — "  Would  the  country  bear 
it  ?  Have  you  forgotten  Wolfe  and  Quebec  ?  "  asked 
Lord  Shelburne. — "  Forgotten  Wolfe  and  Quebec  ?  " 
cried  the  Admiral,  "  No  !  it  is  because  I  remember 
both !  I  served  with  Wolfe  at  Quebec ;  having 
lived  so  long  I  have  had  full  time  for  reflection  on 
this  matter,  and  my  clear  opinion  is  that  if  this  fair 
occasion  for  giving  up  Canada  is  neglected  nothing 
but  difficulty  in  either  keeping  or  resigning  it  will  ever 
after  be  known."  *  It  is  well  for  Britons  that  their  his- 
tory issomething  more  than  the  outcome  of  prophecy. 
The  character  of  Nelson's  relations  with  Lady 
Hamilton  was  seemingly  unsuspected  even  by  those 

*  Edinburgh  Kevieiu,  vol.  Ixix.,  41. 


1801-3]  Death  of  his  Father.  219 


who  lived  in  intimate  association  with  them.  Sir 
WilHam  certainly  saw  nothing.  The  Rev.  William 
thought  her  ladyship  very  good  company  for  his 
wife.  The  Rev.  Edmund,  Nelson's  father,  was  will- 
ing, and  indeed  auxious,  to  live  with  his  son  and  the 
Hamiltons  at  Merton  Place.  It  was  intended  that 
he  should  take  up  his  abode  there  in  May  of  1802, 
after  wintering  at  Bath,  but  his  death  ended  the 
project.  He  died  at  Bath  on  the  26th  of  April, 
aged  seventy-nine,  and  was  buried  at  Burnham 
Thorpe.  Nelson  was  ill  at  the  time,  and  deeply 
felt  the  loss  of  a  parent  whom,  spite  of  a  quality  of 
cold,  formal,  and  insipid  piety  of  a  sort  to  excite  the 
disgust  of  those  who  follow  its  expressions  in  books 
or  in  letters,  he  loved,  honoured,  and  dutifully  cher- 
ished to  the  end. 

Though  we  find  Nelson  in  1802  living  at  Merton 
with  Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton,  he  was  still 
in  command  between  Orfordness  and  Beachy  Head, 
and  therefore  on  leave  only ;  nor  did  he  strike  his 
flag  until  the  loth  of  April.  His  resentment  of  the 
neglect  of  the  claims  of  those  who  had  fought  with 
him  at  Copenhagen  was  vehement  at  this  time.  He 
declined  to  receive  a  vote  of  thanks  from  the  Lon- 
don Court  of  Common  Council  for  his  conduct  in 
the  Downs  and  off  Boulogne,  because  the  City  had 
not  approvingly  and  formally  recognised  the  battle 
of  Copenhagen.  He  refused  for  this  reason  to  pub- 
licly dine  with  the  Lord  Mayor.  His  loyalty  to  his 
comrades,  no  matter  where  they  had  fought  to- 
gether, was  constant,  and  in  its  efforts  on  their  be- 
half unwearying.     Never  was  chief  more  beloved  by 


2  20  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        [^t.43 

those  who  served  with  and  under  him,  nor  did  the 
veneration  and  awe  his  extraordinary  character  ex- 
cited impair  the  simplicity  of  the  whole-hearted 
sailorly  alTcction  with  which  he  was  followed  by 
shipmate  and  by  messmate. 

In  July  he  proceeded  to  Wales  in  company  with 
the  Hamiltons  and  the  Rev.  William  Nelson,  Mrs. 
Nelson,  and  son.  The  object  of  this  excursion  was 
to  view  Milford  Haven  and  observe  the  improve- 
ments made  by  Mr.  C.  F.  Greville  upon  the  estate 
of  his  uncle  Sir  William  Hamilton.  At  Oxford 
Nelson  was  presented  with  the  Freedom  of  the  City 
in  a  gold  box.  Blenheim  was  visited,  but  the  Duke 
of  Marlborough  declined  to  receive  the  party.  Re- 
freshments were  sent  to  them  as  they  might  be  sent 
to  a  set  of  Cockney  excursionists  on  a  holiday  jaunt 
by  a  considerate  but  exclusive  proprietor  of  a  spot 
ranking  among  the  local  sights  ;  but  the  Nelson  party 
refused  to  partake  of  his  Grace's  hospitality  thus 
proffered.  Pettigrew  endeavours  to  account  for  this 
act  of  singular  incivility  to  the  renowned  naval  war- 
rior by  speaking  of  the  Duke's  shy  and  retiring  hab- 
its and  of  the  absence  of  the  usual  ceremonials  of 
introductory  etiquette  ;  but  Mr.  J.  C.  Jeaffreson  more 
correctly  surmises  that  the  ladies  of  the  Marlborough 
family  did  not  desire  the  honour  of  Lady  Hamil- 
ton's acquaintance.  Wherever  they  went  bells  were 
rung,  the  streets  were  filled  with  huzzaing  crowds, 
guns  were  fired,  militiamen  turned  out,  and  bands 
of  music  played  martial  strains.  At  Breckon  and 
at  Milford  his  reception  was  especially  enthusiastic. 
At  this  last-named  place  Mr.  Greville  (choosing  the 


SNUFF-BOX    MADE    FROM    THE    WOOD    OF     '  L'ORIENT. 


MEDAL  For?  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE   NILE. 


1801-3]  War  with  France.  221 


1st  of  August)  invited  all  the  nobility  and  gentry 
of  the  district  to  a  fete  in  commemoration  of  Nel- 
son's visit  and  the  victory  of  the  Nile.  At  Haver- 
ford  West  the  crowd  drew  his  carriage  through  the 
streets,  and  at  Swansea  he  was  dragged  in  triumph 
by  a  body  of  sailors.  The  tour  was  rather  a  royal 
progress  than  an  excursion.  He  passed  under  tri- 
umphal arches;  bishops  carried  him  to  view  the 
cathedrals ;  freedoms  were  showered  upon  him  ; 
medals  were  struck  to  commemorate  his  visits,  and 
dense  throngs  carrying  hundreds  of  lighted  torches 
escorted  him  from  the  theatre  to  his  hotel.  The 
journey  greatly  improved  his  health,  and  on  the  5th 
of  September  be  returned  to  Merton  in  the  highest 
degree  delighted  by  the  often  magnificent  and 
always  affectionate  reception  he  had  met  with. 

Preliminaries  of  peace  were  agreed  upon,  October 
the  1st,  1 801  ;  but  the  Treaty  was  not  signed  till  seven 
months  later,  namely,  March  the  27th,  1802.  The  em- 
bers of  the  bonfires  kindled  in  celebration  of  the  peace 
of  Amiens  were  still  hot,  when  war  with  France  was 
again  imminent.  It  would  unnecessarily  crowd  a  limi- 
ted space  to  enter  into  an  account  of  the  causes  of  the 
war  that  was  declared  by  England  against  France  on 
the  16th  of  May,  1803  ;  that  being  the  date  on  which 
letters-of-marque  were  issued  and  general  reprisals 
ordered.  It  was  at  least  very  clear  to  all  thinking 
Englishmen  that  Buonaparte — even  when  the  pre- 
liminaries of  peace  were  being  signed  by  Lord 
Hawkesbury  and  Citizen  Otto — was  contemplating 
an  early  renewal  of  hostilities  against  England.  He 
did    not,    indeed,   anticipate   a   rupture   before   the 


222  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  44 

month  of  September;  but  the  policy  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, in  those  times  at  all  events,  was  not  to  await 
the  attack,  but  to  deliv^er  the  blow. 

The  decision  and  promptitude  of  the  British  as- 
tonished Buonaparte.  A  conversation  between  him 
and  the  English  Ambassador,  Lord  Whitworth,  at 
the  Tuilleries,  on  the  13th  of  March,  1803,  is  printed 
by  Clarke  and  McArthur.*  "  We  have  already  had 
war,"  said  Buonaparte,  "  for  fifteen  years."  He 
seemed  to  pause  for  a  reply,  and  Lord  Whitworth 
exclaimed:  "That  is  already  too  much."  Buona- 
parte said  :  "  But  you  would  make  another  fifteen 
years  of  war,  and  are  forcing  me  to  it."  He  added: 
"  You  may  be  able  perhaps  to  kill  France,  but  you 
can  never  intimidate  her." — "  Neither  one  nor  the 
other  is  wanted,"  responded  Lord  Whitworth,  speak- 
ing assuredly  not  out  of  his  conscience  so  far  as 
Buonaparte  and  his  government  were  concerned. 
"  W^e  simply  desire  to  live  on  good  terms  with  her," 
meaning  France. 

The  speech  from  the  throne,  delivered  November 
the  i6th,  1802,  was  significant  of  war.  "  It  is  never- 
theless impossible  for  me,"  King  George  was  made 
to  say,  "  to  lose  sight  of  that  established  and  wise 
system  of  policy  by  which  the  interests  of  other 
States  are  connected  with  our  own."  The  Address 
was  seconded  by  Nelson,  November  the  23d,  in  the 
best,  perhaps,  of  the  few  speeches  he  made  :  "  I, 
my  Lords,  have  in  different  countries  seen  much  of 
the  miseries  of  war.  I  am  therefore  in  my  inmost 
soul  a  man  of  peace.     Yet  I  would  not,  for  the  sake 

*  Vol.  ii.,  p.  464. 


1801-3]  Pecuniary  Affairs.  223 

of  any  peace,  however  fortunate,  consent  to  sacrifice 
one  jot  of  England's  honour.  Our  honour  is  in- 
separably combined  with  our  genuine  interest. 
Hitherto  there  has  been  nothing  greater  known  on 
the  Continent  than  the  fame,  the  untainted  honour, 
the  generous  public  sympathies,  the  high  diplomatic 
influence,  the  commerce,  the  grandeur,  the  resistless 
power,  the  unconquerable  valour  of  the  British 
nation."  He  added,  that  he  rejoiced  that  the  King 
intended  to  have  due  regard  to  the  preservation  of 
the  liberties  of  Europe,  and  that  preparations  to 
maintain  the  dignity  of  Great  Britain  were  not  to  be 
neglected. 

Meanwhile  he  continued  to  reside  at  Merton. 
In  March  he  devoted  some  time  to  looking  into  his 
pecuniary  affairs,  and  forwarded  to  the  Right  Hon- 
ourable Henry  Addington  a  statement  that  cannot 
be  perused  without  interest  and  surprise.  It  repre- 
sented that  his  whole  real  property  was  under 
i^  10,000,  and  that  when  all  the  charitable  and  other 
charges  he  had  voluntarily  and  nobly  imposed  upon 
it  were  deducted  he  had  only  ;^768  a  year  left  to 
answer  all  demands  made  upon  him.  He  was  fond 
of  quoting  the  old  sailor's  saying,  tJiat  his  money  never 
cost  the  zvidozv  a  tear  nor  the  natioji  a  fartJiing.  "  I 
got  what  I  have  with  my  pure  blood  from  the 
Enemies  of  my  Country." 

On  the  9th  of  March  he  attended  a  debate  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  on  the  King's  message,  that  dealt 
with  the  armaments  preparing  at  the  French  ports, 
but  did  not  speak.  Before  leaving  he  wrote  as  fol- 
lows to  the  Premier,  Addington  : 


224  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  44 

"  House  of  Lords,  4  o'clock,  March  gth,  1803. 
"Whenever  it  is  necessary  I  2ss\ your  Admiral. 

"  Nelson  and  Bronte," 

Early  in  April  he  was  distressed  by  the  death 
of  Sir  William  Hamilton.  He  and  Lady  Ham- 
ilton had  sat  up  together  for  six  nights  running  by 
the  bedside  of  the  sick  man,  who  expired  holding 
his  wife's  and  Nelson's  hands.  Sir  William's  remark- 
able letter  to  his  wife,  concluding  with  "  For  God's 
sake,"  must  convincingly  assure  the  reader  of  it  that, 
however  well  informed  he  was  of  her  past,  his 
confidence  in  her  fidelity  since  she  had  been  wed- 
ded to  him  was  entirely  unshaken.  His  belief  in 
Nelson's  purity  and  disinterestedness  as  a  friend  was 
equal  to  his  admiration  of  him  as  a  hero  and  a  leader 
of  men.  The  grief  felt  by  Nelson  on  the  death  of 
his  old,  genial,  trusting,  and  profoundly  admiring 
companion  and  friend  must,  if  the  great  Admiral's 
nature  be  visible  to  us  at  all  on  the  surface  of 
that  literature  in  which  posterity  has  to  seek  it, 
have  been  sorely  increased  by  the  voice  of  his  con- 
science. "  The  world,"  he  wrote  of  Sir  William  to 
the  Duke  of  Clarence,  "  never  lost  a  more  upright 
and  accomplished  gentleman."  Lady  Hamilton,  on 
the  other  hand,  a  mistress  of  postures,  must  needs  pose 
upon  her  husband's  remains.  She  writes  :  "  April 
6th.      Unhappy  day  for  the  forlorn  Emma.      Ten 


*  "  I  have  no  complaint  to  make,  but  I  feel  that  the  whole  attention 
of  my  wife  is  given  to  Lord  Nelson  and  his  interest  at  Merton.  I 
well  know  the  purity  of  Lord  Nelson's  friendship  for  Emma  and  me. 
And  I  know  how  very  uncomfortable  it  wou'd  make  his  Lordship,  our 
best  Friend,  if  a  separation  shou'd  take  place,"  etc. 


1801-3]  Sails  for  the  Mediterranean.  225 

minutes  past  ten,  dear,  blessed  Sir  William  left  me," 
That  her  grief  went  no  deeper  than  this  expression 
of  it  we  have  every  right  to  believe.  Puritanical  as 
may  seem  the  twang  of  Robert  Southey's  lament 
over  this  blot  upon  Nelson's  otherwise  spotless 
character  as  a  gentleman,  as  an  officer,  and  as  a 
man,  the  world  will  go  on  agreeing  in  the  spirit 
of  the  poet's  words,  despite  the  eloquence  of 
Lady  Hamilton's  apologists,  and  of  writers  whose 
merit,  higher  than  eloquence,  is  the  effort  to  lighten 
in  the  portrait  of  Britain's  Darling  the  shadow  or  the 
stain  of  a  Wrong. 

He  was  appointed  Commander-in-chief  on  the 
Mediterranean  station  on  the  i6th  of  May,  1803, 
though  his  orders  for  departure  came  to  him  on  the 
6th.  He  went  to  Merton  to  settle  his  affairs,  and 
on  the  1 8th  proceeded  to  Portsmouth,  where  he 
hoisted  his  flag  on  board  the  Victory.  He  sailed 
from  Spithead  on  the  20th,  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  accompanied  by  the  Amphion,  a  32-gun 
frigate,  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas  Masterman 
Hardy,  His  intention  was  to  speak  the  fleet  under 
Admiral  Cornwallis,  but  the  British  ships  had  been 
blown  from  their  station  by  a  severe  gale  of  wind, 
and,  after  a  brief  hunt  for  them.  Nelson  shifted  his 
flag  to  the  Amphion  and  made  sail,  leaving  the 
Victory  to  follow  him  should  Cornwallis  not  desire 
her  as  an  addition  to  the  Channel  fleet.  Nelson 
had  no  particular  appetite  for  the  sweets  of  a  small 
frigate.  When  in  sight  of  Ushant,  he  was  writing 
to  Lady  Hamilton  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning 
to  tell  her  that  he  is  fretting  under  the  idea  that 
15 


2  26  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  44 

Cornwallis  may  keep  the  Victory,  and  turn  him  bag 
and  baggage  into  the  AmpJiioii. 

On  May  the  25th  he  begins  a  sort  of  journal- 
letter,  addressed  to  Emma,  that  contains  in  brief  the 
story  of  his  passage  to  Gibraltar  in  the  Auiphion, 
which  vessel  did  not  prove  so  uncomfortable  as  he 
had  feared.  "  Here  we  are,"  he  says,  "  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  Bay  of  Biscay — nothing  to  be  seen  but  the 
sky  and  water.  I  left  the  Victory  at  eight  o'clock 
last  night.  .  .  .  Hardy  takes  good  care  of  us, 
and  the  Amphion  is  very  comfortable."  His  im- 
patience almost  rages  at  times.  A  foul  wind  and 
head  sea  kept  the  Amphion  labouring  off  Finisterre, 
and  Nelson  could  think  of  nothing  but  the  time 
that  was  being  lost,  and  of  the  likelihood  of  Sicily— 
the  Neapolitan  Court  is  still  first  with  him,  at  all 
events,  in  his  communications  with  Emma — being 
overrun  by  the  French  before  he  could  get  to  work. 
"  But,"  says  he,  "  we  are  carrying  sail,  doing  our 
utmost.  Patience  is  a  virtue  at  sea.  Your  dear 
picture  and  Horatia's  are  hung  up  ;  it  revives  me 
even  to  look  upon  them." 

On  the  2d  of  June  he  was  passing  the  rock  at 
Lisbon,  with  a  gentle  fair  wind,  and  on  the  3d 
arrived  at  Gibraltar,  having  made  a  run  of  one 
hundred  leagues  in  eighteen  hours, — that  is  to  say, 
from  eight  o'clock  on  the  previous  morning  down  to 
two  o'clock  of  the  3d,  at  which  hour  he  wrote  this 
entry.  If  there  be  no  inaccuracy  here,  the  time 
shows  an  average  speed  of  a  full  ten  knots  an  hour, 
which  proves  the  old  Amphion  to  have  been  pos- 
sessed of  a  very  nimble  keel,  as  clippers  then  went. 


1801-3]     Anxiety  for  the  House  of  Bourbon.      227 

Malta  was  reached  on  the  15th  and  Naples  on  the 
25th,  where  Nelson  expected  to  find  the  squadron 
under  the  command  of  Rear-Admiral  Sir  Richard 
Bickerton  in  the  Kent,  74.  But  the  ships  had  gone 
to  Toulon.  His  anxiety  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Two  Sicilies  was  as  enthusiastic  as  ever  it  had  been 
in  the  days  of  the  Agamemnon  and  the  Foudroyant. 
"  If  I  know  myself,"  lie  wrote  to  Sir  John  Acton, 
"  it  is  to  know  that  the  more  my  friends  are  in  dis- 
tress the  more  I  am  anxious  to  save  them.  A  mouse 
assisted  a  lion,  which  is  the  only  comparison  I  can 
make  in  arrogating  to  myself  the  power  of  assisting 
a  King  of  the  house  of  Bourbon."  This  King  of 
the  House  of  Bourbon  seemed  quite  sensible  of  what 
was  being  done  for  him.  "■  The  hand  of  Providence 
again  weighs  on  me  and  on  my  people,"  he  wrote 
to  Nelson,  probably  confounding  the  hand  of  Provi- 
dence with  his  own  or  his  wife's.  "  I  see  no  hope 
or  consolation  but  in  the  friendship  of  your  august 
Sovereign,  who  was  always  my  faithful  and  sincere 
ally.  His  support  is  certain  since  he  has  appointed 
you  to  the  command  in  these  seas.  ...  I  must  so- 
licit your  immediate  consideration  of  my  position."  * 
Again  we  find  Nelson  anxious  to  provide  for  the 
personal  safety  of  the  Neapolitan  Royal  Family  by 
proposing  to  Sir  John  Acton  to  keep  either  a  ship 
of  the  line  or  a  frigate  constantly  at  Naples,  and 
before  quitting  Capri  he  directed  the  senior  captain 
of  the  British  ships  in  Naples  Bay  to  receive,  on 
his   signed    order   being   presented    by    the    British 


*  Pettigrew.     II.,  315. 


228  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        r^t.  44 

Minister,  the  King,  Queen,  and  Royal  Family,  and 
convey  them  wherever  they  wished  to  go. 

It  was  not  until  the  8th  of  July  that  he  succeeded 
in  joining  Sir  Richard  Bickerton,  who  was  cruising 
off  Toulon  with  the  following  ships:  Gibraltar,  8o; 
Kent,  Donegal,  Superb,  Belleisle,  and  Renown,  all  74's ; 
Monmouth  and  Agincoiirt,  64's  ;  and  two  frigates,  the 
AnipJiion  making  a  third.  The  French  force  prepar- 
ing for  sea  in  Toulon  under  Vice-Admiral  La  Touche- 
Treville,  consisted  of  seven  line-of-battle  ships  almost 
in  readiness  to  go  afloat,  two  repairing  at  the  Arsenal, 
and  five  on  the  stocks.  All  these  vessels  were  craft 
of  great  weight  of  broadsides.  Bo's  and  74's. 

Forty-eight  hours  after  Nelson  had  left  the  Victory, 
she  fell  in  with  the  Channel  fleet,  and  two  hours 
later  was  suffered  to  proceed  to  the  Mediterranean. 
She  joined  the  squadron  on  the  30th  of  July,  and 
Nelson  at  once  shifted  his  flag  to  her,  taking  with 
him  Captain  George  Murray  as  his  first,  and  Captain 
Hardy  as  his  second,  captain. 

In  these  days  of  steam  much  that  went  to  render 
the  business  of  blockading  in  olden  times  in  the 
highest  degree  wretched  and  even  unendurable,  must 
be  softened  or  extinguished.  The  propeller  enables 
a  ship  to  keep  her  station.  She  roams  at  will  ;  for 
her  the  wind  is  without  caprice,  and  it  needs  little 
short  of  a  hurricane  to  divert  her  resolutions.  All 
this  was  very  different  in  the  times  of  tacks  and 
sheets.  A  long,  strong  squall  would  blow  a  blockad- 
ing squadron  out  of  sight,  and  hours  and  days  might 
be  expended  in  the  task  of  "  reaching  "  up  against 
a  strong  off-shore  wind  to  the  old  cruising  station. 


1801-3]  Blockade  of  Toulon.  229 

Expectation,  long-strained  and  ever  on  the  alert, 
became  a  sickness  of  heart ;  the  enemy  continued 
motionless ;  nothing  was  to  be  done  but  to  continue 
sailing  up  and  down,  first  on  one  tack  then  on  the 
other,  staring  at  the  foe,  whose  masthead  with  heavy 
yards  across  towered  above  the  line  of  docks  and 
fortresses  and  pier  heads.  "  The  happiness,"  writes 
Nelson,  "  of  keeping  a  station  is  always  to  have  a  foul 
wind,  and  never  to  hear  the  delightful  sound,  steady !' 
In  such  work  he  would  humorously  say  there  was 
little  more  to  be  earned  than  salt-beef  and  honour ; 
but  unhappily  the  honour  counted  for  nothing,  whilst 
the  salt-beef  ate  steadily  into  the  constitution. 

Early  in  August  the  French  force  at  Toulon  had 
risen  by  the  launch  of  the  Neptune  to  eight  sail-of- 
the-line,  as  against  Nelson's  six;  namely,  the  Victory, 
Belleisle,  Kent,  Renown,  Superb,  and  Triumph — the 
Canopus  and  MonmoiitJi  having  been  detached. 

The  movements  of  Nelson  whilst  blockading  Tou- 
lon must  be  followed,  though  they  are  without  in- 
terest. Minute  details  of  operations  lose  their  power 
of  detaining  the  attention  in  proportion  as  they 
are  removed  by  time.  This  is  specially  true  of  the 
sea,  and  the  truer  still  in  these  days  because  of  the 
radical  change,  continuously  active,  that  has  been 
brought  about  by  steam  and  the  use  of  metal. 
Fifty  years  ago  a  naval  officer  would  probably  watch 
with  profound  interest  Nelson's  manoeuvrings  off 
Toulon  as  they  are  described  by  his  biographers  and 
in  his  own  dispatches  and  letters.  But  the  seaman- 
ship of  those  days,  the  strategies,  the  devices,  the 
expedients,  are  no  longer  of  the  least  value  voca- 


230  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.45 

tionally.  A  pity  indeed  that  this  should  be  so  ! 
The  breed  of  men  whom  Nelson  headed  is  by  no 
means  as  yet  extinct ;  but  science  has  placed  the 
Jacks  of  all  the  nations  upon  a  level  platform  ;  one 
set  of  sailors  must  needs  be  as  good  as  another  set 
if  naval  warfare  is  to  consist  of  firing  at  league-long 
distances  and  if  the  ships  employed  are  to  be  merely 
floating  batteries,  more  or  less  submerged,  propelled 
by  steam,  armed  with  leviathan  ordnance,  and  filled 
with  men  who,  as  no  calls  upon  their  qualities  as 
mariners  can  possibly  be  made  owing  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  structures  they  float  in  and  to  the  nature 
of  the  services  required,  must  hardly,  in  spite  of 
their  dress,  be  regarded  as  much  more  than  sea-going 
soldiers.  The  pike  has  been  removed  from  the 
hands  of  the  seamen  ;  the  cutlass  can  be  little  better 
than  a  tradition  ;  there  can  be  no  more  }'ard-arm  to 
yard-arm  engagements ;  we  may  take  it  that  the 
boarding-party  is  quite  among  the  marine  details  of 
the  dead  past.  Yet  it  was  by  the  thrust  of  the  pike, 
the  deadly  swing  of  the  tomahawk  or  the  cutlass, 
the  daring  hurricane-leap  from  bulwark  to  bulwark, 
the  impetuous  and  irresistible  rush  along  the  enemy's 
deck,  the  red-hot  hand-to-hand  conflict  swiftly  termi- 
nated,— by  these  means  it  was,  the  British  sailor 
achieved  those  issues  which  the  true-born  English- 
man has  a  right  to  boast  of  and  to  proudly  recall. 
In  this  century,  however,  has  happened  a  very  revo- 
lution in  sea  affairs  ;  the  manoeuvres  of  Nelson  are  to 
be  followed  as  historic  studies;  but  professionally 
they  are  of  no  worth. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  the  squadron  under  Nel- 


1801-31  Crazy  Ships.  231 

son  being  short  of  water  made  for  a  newly  discov- 
ered anchorage  among  the  Magdalena  Islands, 
leaving  two  frigates  to  watch  the  French  force. 
For  a  whole  week  the  ships  were  fighting  with 
heavy  gales,  through  nights  of  blackness  made 
horribly  perilous  by  a  navigation  of  rocks  and  shoals 
in  those  days  uncharted.  The  anchorage,  however, 
was  safely  reached,  and,  having  obtained  the  refresh- 
ments he  required  for  his  ships,  Nelson  sailed  again 
on  the  9th  of  November,  and  was  off  Toulon  by  the 
23d.  He  was  thoroughly  satisfied  with  his  crews. 
"We  are  healthy  beyond  example,"  he  wrote  to  his 
friend  Davison  on  October  4th,  "and  in  great  good 
humour  with  ourselves,  and  so  sharp-set  that  I  would 
not  be  a  French  Admiral  in  the  way  of  any  of  our 
ships  for  something.  I  believe  we  are  in  the  right 
fighting  trim,  let  them  come  as  soon  as  they  please. 
I  never  saw  a  Fleet  altogether  so  well  of^cered  and 
manned." 

But  the  ships  he  declared  crazy.  To  the  Duke  of 
Clarence  he  could  write  in  language  that  was  not  to 
be  interpreted  into  the  faintest  echo  of  the  sailor's 
proverbial  "  growl " :  "I  have  the  happiness,"  he 
says,  "  of  commanding  the  finest  squadron  in  the 
world — Victory,  Kent,  Superb,  Triumph,  Belleisle,3.nd 
Renoiuu."  But  to  his  friend  Davison  he  can  find  it 
in  his  heart  to  be  candid  :  "  If  I  am  to  watch  the 
French  I  must  be  at  sea,  and  if  at  sea  must  have  bad 
weather ;  and  if  the  ships  are  not  fit  to  stand  bad 
weather  they  are  useless.  I  do  not  say  much,  but  I 
do  not  believe  that  Lord  St.  Vincent  would  have 
kept  the  sea  with  such  ships."     The   anxiety   the 


232  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.45 

condition  of  the  squadron  gave  him  may  be  judged 
from  this  and  other  Hke  passages  in  his  correspond- 
ence. The  Mediterranean  weather,  too,  appeared  to 
have  changed  its  character,  as  though  to  compHcate 
his  worries.  It  was  incessantly  blowing  hard  Le- 
vanters, and  nothing  but  his  extraordinary  foresight 
enabled  him  to  hold  his  own  in  those  waters.  The 
Admiralty  then,  as  always,  needed  warm  and  fre- 
quent promptings  to  keep  alive  in  them  a  recogni- 
tion of  the  needs  of  distant  fleets.  It  seemed 
scarcely  credible  that  Nelson  should  have  found  it 
necessary  to  point  out  to  a  body  of  oflficials  who 
numbered  old  and  seasoned  sea-officers  amongst 
them,  that  the  Gulf  of  Lyons  was  notorious,  where- 
ever  the  mariner  floated,  for  the  number  and  sever- 
ity and  suddenness  of  its  gales,  and  that  as  the  fleet 
would  be  at  sea,  in  all  probability,  during  the  whole 
of  the  winter,  it  was  necessary  to  supply  the  ship 
with  plenty  of  spare  top-masts,  top-sail  yards,  and 
extra  suits  of  canvas. 

But  there  was  a  deeper  and  a  darker  anxiety  on 
his  mind  at  this  time  than  any  trouble  it  was  in  the 
power  of  the  French  or  of  the  weather  or  of  the  Brit- 
ish Admiralty  to  create  for  him.  "  My  dear  friend," 
he  wrote  to  Davison,  "  my  eyesight  fails  me  most 
dreadfully.  I  firmly  believe  that  in  a  very  few  years 
I  shall  be  stone  blind.  It  is  this  only  of  all  my  mala- 
dies that  makes  me  unhappy  ;  but  God's  will  be 
done."  And  to  his  brother,  Edmund,  he  also  writes: 
"  The  mind  and  body  both  wear  out,  and  my  eye  is 
every  month  visibly  getting  worse,  and  I  much  fear 
it  will    end    in    total    blindness.     The  moment  the 


1801-3] 


In  the  Bay  of  Palmas. 


233 


battle  is  over,  if  I  am  victorious,  I  shall  ask  for  my 
retreat — if,  unfortunately,  the  contrary,  I  hope  never 
to  live  to  see  it." 

Incessant  gales  of  wind,  combined  with  the  defec- 
tive state  of  his  ships,  all  whose  running  rigging, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Victory's,  was  condemned, 
whilst  some  of  them,  such  as  the  Excellent  and  Kent, 
had  to  be  refitted  with  new  main  and  mizzen  shrouds, 
to  the  disgrace  of  the  Portsmouth  Dockyard  people 
who  had  thus  sent  the  ships  to  sea,  compelled  Nel- 
son to  withdraw  to  the  shelter  of  the  Bay  of  Palmas, 
where  he  lingered  until  the  want  of  fresh  water 
drove  him  once  more  to  the  anchorage  amongst  the 
Magdalena  Islands. 


Fr(nn/  Om/i/  of  JUe^icoice' 

m/tke  Admxrcdty  JU^crds. 


Admiral^  HecordtS. 


^^V*^«>^^   v_'\r^X^a 


Zetter  in/  th&  Autfurr's  ^ossessiAnv. 


\J\pJ<A'^'^ 


letter  in/  ihc  Jutkor^  jossessioTV. 


(>Vm^<N''<^**^P^ 


JfiK 


Admcralfy  Jlecord>s.  \ 

ZettiT  in/iher  Authors  ^ssessuff\ 

From  Pettigrew's  '' Life  of  Nelton." 


.///  \^^^  .^',IP  --=-^ 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Recollections  of  Rev.  A.  J-  Scott — The  leathern 
arm-chairs  —  Anecdote  of  a  midshipman  —  La 
Touche-Treville  —  Con  tinned  illness  —  Ambition 
to  be  Lord  High  Admiral — Anecdote — Tedious 
blockading — Spanish  menace — Rich  capture — Sir 
John  Orde — Injurious  treatment  of  Nelson  — 
French  fleet — Daring  navigation — Pursuit  of  the 
French  across  the  Atlantic — Misled  by  Brereton 
— The  American  schooner — Two  years  all  but  ten 
days  of  shipboard — Romantic  incident. 

OME  interesting  recollections  of  Nel- 
son by  his  chaplain  in  the  Victory, 
the  Rev.  A.  J.  Scott,  belong  to  this  period.  It  was 
a  point  of  etiquette  with  him  to  transmit  letters 
addressed  to  foreign  Courts  in  his  own  tongue,  with 
duplicates  in  the  respective  languages  of  those 
Courts ;  and  this  labour  of  translation  was  his  chap- 
lain's, who  also  read  aloud  to  him  all  the  French, 
Italian,  Spanish,  and  other  foreign  newspapers  which 
were  sent  to  the  ship.  Nelson  likewise  obliged  Scott 
to  read  through  every  twopenny-halfpenny  pamphlet 
that  came  to  hand,  his  notion  being  that  no  man 
ever  put  his  hand  to  paper  who  had  not  something 
to  tell  worth  knowing.  The  great  Admiral  appears 
to  have  possessed  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson's  capacity  of 

235 


236  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  45 

tearing  the  heart  out  of  a  book.  A  swift  glance  at  a 
page  or  two  enabled  him  to  gather  the  writer's  ob- 
ject. Day  after  day  he  and  his  chaplain  and  a  secre- 
tary sat  poring  upon  the  papers  which  loaded  the 
table.  The  cabin  was  furnished  with  two  black 
leather  arm-chairs,  each  with  capacious  pockets,  and 
Scott,  exhausted  by  the  labour  of  translating,  would 
sometimes  sneak  into  one  of  these  pockets  some 
score  or  so  of  unopened  private  letters  found  in 
captured  ships ;  but  such  was  Nelson's  restless  so- 
licitude that  he  was  uneasy  if  even  a  single  docu- 
ment was  unexamined.  These  leathern  chairs,  with 
the  help  of  an  ottoman,  when  lashed  together,  formed 
a  couch  on  which  he  would  often  snatch  a  few  winks 
of  sleep,  which  supplied  him  with  as  much  refresh- 
ment as  an  ordinary  mortal  might  obtain  from  a 
long  night's  rest. 

No  human  being,  according  to  Scott,  ever  possessed 
so  remarkably  as  Lord  Nelson  the  power  of  exciting 
affection  for  his  nature  and  admiration  for  his  genius. 
Sir  Pultney  Malcolm,  who  was  intimately  acquainted 
with  Buonaparte,  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  and  our 
Hero,  used  to  say  that  "  Nelson  was  the  man  to 
love.''  He  found  a  very  great  delight  in  studying 
the  characters  of  those  who  were  about  him  ;  and  at 
table  would  provoke  arguments  that  he  might  draw 
out  the  thoughts  and  opinions  of  his  companions. 
He  abhorred  all  stiffness  and  formality,  and  when 
an  hour  arrived  for  debating  the  most  important 
naval  business  he  chose  a  turn  on  the  quarter-deck 
with  his  captains,  whom  he  would  coax  by  his  own 
frankness  into  free  confessions  of  opinion,  in  prefer- 


1803-5]        Anecdote  of  a  Midshipman.  237 

ence  to  the  ceremonious  solemnities  of  the  council 
of  war. 

Scott  was  a  man  of  talent  and  a  scholar,  and  Nel- 
son would  often  slyly  amuse  himself  by  provoking 
the  chaplain  into  arguments  on  literature,  politics, 
and  even  naval  affairs.  On  one  occasion  he  teased 
him  into  delivering  a  lecture  on  navigation  to  the  no 
small  diversion  of  Admiral  Murray,  Captain  Hardy, 
and  other  officers  who  were  present.  The  following 
story  is  related  by  the  writer  of  Scott's  life  :  One 
fine  morning  when  the  Victory  was  floating  quietly 
along  at  some  four  knots  in  the  hour  there  was  a 
sudden  cry  of  "  Man  overboard  !  "  A  midshipman 
named  Flinn,  who  was  sketching  on  deck,  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and  looking  over  the  quarter  saw  his  own 
servant,  who  could  not  swim,  drowning  in  the  ship's 
wake.  The  lad  whipped  off  his  jacket  at  the  instant 
that  the  Captain  of  Marines  had  thrown  the  sinking 
fellow  a  chair  ;  but  this  did  not  hinder  Flinn  from 
leaping  overboard.  The  lad,  the  man,  and  the  chair 
were  recovered  and  hauled  on  deck.  Nelson,  who 
stood  looking  on,  was  so  pleased  with  Flinn's  be- 
haviour that  he  called  the  lad  up  to  him  and  made 
him  a  lieutenant  on  the  spot.  A  crowd  of  young- 
sters sent  up  a  loud  cheer  whilst  they  tossed  their 
hats  in  honour  of  their  messmate  Flinn's  good-for- 
tune. Nelson  seemed  to  find  something  significant 
in  the  tone  of  their  hurrahs,  and  putting  up  his  hand 
for  silence,  whilst  he  inclined  his  body  over  the  rail 
towards  the  lads,  he  said  with  a  smile  :  "  Stop,  young 
gentlemen  !  Mr.  Flinn  has  done  a  gallant  thing  to- 
day— and  he  has  done  many  gallant  things  before — 


238  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  46 

for  which  he  has  got  his  reward;  but  mind!  /'// 
have  no  more  making  lieutenants  for  servants  falling 
over-board  !  "  * 

Nothing  very  material  happened  until  the  13th  of 
June,  on  wl^'ch  date  Nelson  was  off  Hyeres  in  the 
Victory,  along  with  the  Canopus,  Belleisle,  Donegal, 
and  Excellent.  Sir  Richard  Bickerton,  with  a  divi- 
sion of  five  sail,  was  cruising  at  a  distance  of  some 
sixty  miles  from  the  land.  Two  strange  ships  had 
been  signalled  off  the  east  end  of  the  island  of 
Porquerolles,  and  the  frigates  Amazon  and  PJicebe 
were  sent  in  chase.  The  light  airs  made  the  manoeu- 
vring very  slow  ;  and  it  was  not  until  next  day  that 
Nelson  gathered  that  the  strangers  were  two  French 
frigates.  The  Amazon  and  Phoebe  cleared  for  action  ; 
but  they  had  scarcely  done  so  when  the  whole  of  the 
French  fleet  in  Toulon  Road  got  under-way  and  stood 
in  pursuit.  There  were  fourteen  sail  of  ships,  but 
this  powerful  force  seemed  to  have  no  other  object 
in  quitting  what  Nelson  called  their  "  nest  "  than  to 
put  the  English  frigates  to  flight,  for  when  this  had 
been  done  they  returned  to  their  quarters,  out  of 
which  Nelson,  by  every  species  of  strategy  and  defi- 
ance, had  in  vain  for  weeks  and  weeks  been  attempt- 
ing to  lure  them.  La  Touche-Tr(5ville,  the  French 
Admiral,  in  an  official  communication  to  his  govern- 
ment, reported  of  this  profound!}^  insignificant  busi- 
ness that  Nelson  ran  away. 

*  "  Scott's  Recollections,"  p.  127.  Mr.  Flin  (with  one  n)  died  a 
Post  Captain  and  Companion  of  the  Bath  in  1819.  Nelson's  marginal 
note  to  his  official  letter  on  this  subject  tells  the  story  very  differ- 
ently: "  Appointed  in  consequence  of  his  having  jumped  overboard 
on  the  night  of  nth  inst.,  then  very  dark,"  etc. 


1803-51     Contradicts  La  Touche-Treville.         239 

There  was  never  an  insult  and  never  a  lie  levelled 
at  Nelson  in  all  his  career  that  he  resented  more 
bitterly  than  this.  It  is  impossible  not  to  agree 
with  James,  the  historian,  that  he  made  a  very  great 
deal  too  much  of  the  hectoring  French  coxcomb's 
gasconade.  He  even  condescended  to  communicate 
on  the  subject  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty. 
"  Although  I  most  certainly  never  thought  of  writ- 
ing a  line  of  Mons.  Touche's  having  cut  a  caper  a 
few  miles  outside  of  Toulon,  on  the  14th  of  June, 
when  he  well  knew  I  could  not  get  at  him  without 
placing  the  ships  under  the  batteries  which  sur- 
rounded that  port  ;  and  that,  had  I  attacked  him  in 
that  position,  he  could  retire  into  his  secure  nest 
whenever  he  pleased  ;  yet,  as  the  gentleman  has 
thought  proper  to  write  a  letter,  stating  that  the 
fleet  under  my  command  ran  away  and  that  he  pur- 
sued it,  perhaps  it  may  be  thought  necessary  for  me 
to  say  something.  But  I  do  assure  you,  sir,  that  I 
know  not  what  to  say  except  by  a  flat  contradiction, 
for  if  my  character  is  not  established  by  this  time 
for  not  being  apt  to  run  away,  't  is  not  worth  my 
time  to  attempt  to  put  the  world  right."  *  He  was 
less  reserved  in  the  expression  of  his  indignation  to 
friends.  "  I  have  kept  M.  La  Touche's  letter,"  he 
writes  to  Mr.  Davison,  "  and  if  I  take  him  I  shall 
never  see  him  ;  or,  if  I  do,  make  him  eat  his  letter — 
perhaps  sovereign  contempt  is  the  best."  So  also 
to  Sir  Alexander  Ball :  "  Such  a  liar  is  below  my 
notice,  except  to  thrash  him." 

La  Touche,   however,  died   before   Nelson  could 

*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vi.,  150. 


240  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson,         [^t.45 

get  at  him.  He  expired  aboard  the  Bucentaure  on 
the  1 8th  of  August,  1804.  "  He  is  gone,"  wrote 
Nelson,  "  and  all  his  lies  with  him.  The  French 
papers  say  he  died  in  consequence  of  walking  so 
often  up  to  the  signal-post,  upon  Sepet,  to  watch  us  ; 
I  always  pronounced  that  that  would  be  his  death." 
The  French  papers,  however,  could  lie  about  this 
man  as  freely  and  coolly  as  he  could  lie  about 
Nelson.  A  sketch  of  his  life  appeared  in  the  Moni- 
teitr,  of  the  ist  of  September,  1804,  in  which  his 
behaviour  at  Boulogne  is  thus  recounted  :  "  He 
was  soon  sent  to  Boulogne,  where  he  prepared  the 
first  elements  of  that  Flotilla  which  has  now  grown 
to  such  a  size  ;  and  every  one  remembers  the  glori- 
ous contests  which  he  sustained  on  the  17th  and 
27th  Thermidor  in  the  year  9  against  Admiral  Nel- 
son." Again,  speaking  of  this  man's  command  in 
the  Mediterranean,  the  Moniteiir  says  :  "  Since  that 
epoch  he  has  not  ceased  to  be  in  sight  of  a  superior 
force,  which  has  in  vain  endeavoured  to  block  up  the 
port  of  Toulon.  The  activity  which  he  had  given  to 
the  ships  of  his  squadron,  and  the  strict  discipline 
which  he  had  established,  did  not  permit  an  enemy's 
vessel  to  appear  before  the  Road  without  being  in- 
stantly pursued,  harassed,  and  forced  to  quit  the 
coast."  "'■'"  It  is  in  this  fashion  that  French  naval 
history  is  written.  Yet,  a  little  before  the  period  of 
the  death  of  this  same  La  Touche,  who  was  "af- 
frighting the  English  "  away  from  the  French  coast, 
Nelson  was  acknowledging  to  the  Lord  Mayor  of 
London  a  vote  of  thanks,  passed  by  the  Corporation 

*  Naval  Chronicle,  xii.,  301. 


1803-5]  Conthiued  Illness.  241 

for  his  services  off  Toulon  :  "  I  beg  to  inform  your 
Lordship  that  the  port  of  Toulon  has  never  been 
blockaded  by  me ;  quite  the  reverse  ;  every  oppor- 
tunity has  been  offered  the  enemy  to  put  to  sea,  for 
it  is  there  that  we  hope  to  realise  the  hopes  and  ex- 
pectations of  our  country,  and  I  trust  that  they  will 
not  be  disappointed." 

He  was  now  suffering  again  in  health,  and  particu- 
larly dreaded  the  gales  and  frosts  of  such  another 
winter  as  he  had  passed.  He  communicated  with 
the  Admiralty  to  request  leave  to  return  to  Eng- 
land, and  asked  that  their  consent  might  reach  him 
soon,  as  his  application  had  already  been  deferred 
too  long.  This  permission  he  was  anticipating 
eagerly  in  September,  when  writing  to  Lady  Hamil- 
ton :  "  I  shall  not  stay  three  minutes  at  Ports- 
mouth, but  fly  to  dear  Merton,  where  all  in  this 
world  that  is  dearest  to  me  resides  ;  and,  therefore, 
I  would  have  you  remain  at  Merton,  being  assured 
I  shall  lose  no  time  in  coming  to  you."  But  both 
his  health  and  patience  were  to  be  heavily  taxed 
before  Merton  could  be  visited.  His  sufferings 
took  the  form  of  great  pains  in  his  right  side  ;  the 
sight  of  his  remaining  eye  was  also  fast  failing  him. 
His  burning  ambition  was  to  meet  the  French  and 
defeat  them,  after  which  he  seemed  to  count  upon 
being  made  Lord  High  Admiral,  with  the  whole 
management  of  the  Naval  Service  of  Great  Britain 
in  his  hands.  His  dreams  ran  all  that  way,  and 
in  conversing  with  his  intimate  friends  he  would 
repeatedly  tell  them  what  he  would  do  if  he  were 

in  power. 
j6 


242  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [/Et.  45 

By  November  in  this  year,  however,  he  had  aban- 
doned his  intention  of  going  to  England.  "  I  sliall 
not  go  yet,"  he  told  Mr.  Lambton  Este,  in  conversa- 
tion ;  "  and  when  I  may  go  is  quite  uncertain — must 
depend  upon  events  and^upon  my  own  precarious 
health." 

Mr.  Este  tells  a  story  belonging  to  this  period, 
and  Sir  H.  Nicolas  cites  it  as  an  illustration  of  the 
character  of  Nelson.  The  fleet  had  been  many 
months  afloat,  and  Mr.  Este  judged  that  Nelson  and 
his  associates  must  be  in  want  of  naval  stores.  It 
was  in  his  power  to  supply  certain  articles  which  he 
knew  would  be  acceptable  as  delicacies,  and  he  ac- 
cordingly sent  by  the  Plicebe  frigate,  as  presents  for 
the  Victory,  two  large  tierces  of  the  iinest  English 
porter,  together  with  a  quantity  of  hams,  tongues, 
pickles,  and  so  on.  When  Nelson  saw  the  baggage 
he  exclaimed:  "What  's  all  this  lumber?  What 
the  devil  have  you  got  here?"  He  seemed  hurt  at 
Mr.  Este's  explanation  that  it  was  "  only  a  little 
ammunition  for  the  fleet,  my  Lord."  But  neverthe- 
less he  directed  that  the  goods  should  be  carefully 
stored  away.  Days  and  weeks  passed,  but  none  of 
Mr.  Este's  delicacies  were  served,  either  at  the  Ad- 
miral's table  or  in  the  wardroom  of  the  Victory.  Mr. 
Este  thought  this  very  odd,  but  nothing  was  said. 
When  he  left  the  ship  a  letter  from  Nelson  was  put 
into  his  hand:  I  have  tasted  and  reserved  some 
of  )'our  princely  and  delicious  presents.  Had  we 
returned  together  in  the  Superb,  these  should  have 
afforded  consolation  to  all  on  board  that  ship  on 
our  homeward  voyage.     As  our  destinies  are  altered 


1803-5]  Tedious  Blockading.  243 

I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  sending  them  to  Captain 
Pettet,  to  whom  they  will  prove  highly  acceptable  ; 
and  before  you  have  been  long  on  board  I  trust  you 
will  think  with  me,  that  they  could  not  have  been 
more  worthily  bestowed.  I  have  added  a  few  bottles 
of  fine  Marsala,  lately  sent  me  by  Woodhouse  from 
Sicily,  that  you  may  have  the  pleasure  of  drinking 
my  health  in  my  absence."*  All  well-authenticated 
anecdotes  of  Nelson  abound  in  interest :  the  more 
so  as  they  are  few.  Yet  it  is  not  very  easy  to  find  in 
Mr.  Este's  story  that  illustration  of  Nelson's  charac- 
ter which  we  are  invited  to  observe.  Better  surely 
that  the  delicacies  should  have  been  eaten  by  the 
officers  of  the  Victory — who  had  passed  and  were 
yet  to  pass  a  long  and  dreary  spell  of  cruising, — than 
given  to  those  who  were  sailing  direct  for  England. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  month  of  July  gales 
of  wind  were  incessant,  and  Nelson  had  the  utmost 
difficulty  in  keeping  his  station  in  the  almost  unsea- 
worthy  ships  under  his  command.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  month  he  sheltered  his  fleet  in  the  Gulf 
of  Palmas,  where  were  eight  transports  with  cargoes 
to  be  discharged.  The  Bellcisle,  the  Fisgard,  and 
the  Niger  were  left  off  Toulon  to  cruise  and  watch 
the  enemy.  On  the  2d  of  August,  these  vessels 
having  been  blown  away  out  of  sight  of  the  shore, 
five  French  sail  of  the  line  and  six  frigates  came  out 
of  Toulon,  but  on  sighting  the  Bellcisle  and  her  con- 
sorts they  instantly  shifted  their  helm  and  returned 
to  Toulon.  This  sort  of  thing  had  been  now  going 
on  for  months  with  exasperating    regularity.     The 

*"  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vi.,  258. 


244  ^^^  ^'^f^  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t>Ct.  46 


French  Commander-in-chief  seemed  to  desire  noth- 
ing better  than  a  chance  to  sneak  out  when  no 
Englishman  was  in  view,  and  then  hurry  in  again 
Hke  a  hare  with  a  hound  after  it,  that  he  might  com- 
municate official  lies  to  Napoleon.  Yet  he  was  in 
strong  force,  for  when  Nelson  again  reconnoitred 
Toulon  on  the  26th  he  counted  twenty  ship-rigged 
vessels,  of  which  ten  were  sail-of-the-line,  in  the  outer 
harbour ;  and  in  the  inner  harbour,  a  formidable 
line-of-battle  ship  and  a  frigate. 

On  the  death  of  La  Touche-Tr^ville,  Admiral 
Dumanoir-le-Pelley  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  French  fleet,  but  on  the  6th  of  November  the  gal- 
lant and  unfortunate  Villencuve  succeeded  him,  and 
hoisted  his  flag  aboard  the  Bucentaiire.  Yet  was 
nothing  done.  The  business  of  waiting  on  one  hand 
and  of  watching  on  the  other  went  on.  By  the  first 
day  of  the  year  1805  the  French  fleet  had  risen  to 
eleven  sail-of-the-line,  and  eight  frigates,  on  board 
of  which  a  large  number  of  troops  had  embarked, 
and  nothing  hindered  Villeneuve  from  sailing  but 
the  presence  of  the  British. 

Meanwhile — that  is  to  say,  on  the  preceding  5th 
of  October,  1804 — there  had  occurred  an  incident 
that  proved  of  extraordinary  significance.  In  the 
declaration  of  war  against  France  by  the  British 
Government,  Holland  Avas  included,  but  not  Spain. 
News,  however,  later  on  came  to  hand  that  a  large 
Spanish  force  was  collected  in  the  port  of  Ferrol, 
and  that  a  junction  with  the  French  was  to  be 
expected.  Nelson  received  a  secret  Admiralty  let- 
ter, in  which  were  enclosed  instructions  to  Admiral 


1803-51  Spanish  Losses.  245 

Cornwallis  to  continue  the  blockade  of  Ferrol  and 
to  resist  or  deal  with  any  hostile  attempts  on  the 
part  of  Spain  against  the  King  of  Great  Britain's 
dominions.  On  this  Captain  Sir  Richard  Strachan, 
of  the  Donegal,  was  instructed  to  proceed  imme- 
diately outside  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar,  with  the 
Medusa,  Amphion,  Sophia,  and  Halcyon,  to  intercept 
four  Spanish  frigates  laden  with  specie  and  bound 
to  Ferrol  from  Monte  Video.  They  were  fallen  in 
with  and  hailed,  and  as  the  answers  returned  were 
not  satisfactory,  they  were  fired  into.  One  of  them 
blew  up,  the  other  three  surrendered.  Their  value 
amounted  to  about  a  million  of  money.  "  The 
frigate,"  wrote  Captain  Sutton,  of  the  Amphion,  to 
Lady  Hamilton  on  his  arrival  at  Plymouth,  "  I  was 
opposed  to,  took  fire  and  blew  up  in  action.  I  could 
only  save  one  officer  and  forty-four  men.  Thirteen 
ladies,  passengers  from  South  America,  were  lost  in 
the  ship."  The  Spanish  Government  at  once  gave 
orders  to  make  reprisals  on  English  property,  but  it 
was  not  until  the  12th  of  December  that  the  King 
of  Spain  formally  declared  war  against  Great  Britain. 
Some  time  before  this  formal  declaration  of  war, 
Vice-Admiral  Sir  John  Orde  was  sent  out  as  Com- 
mander-in-chief of  a  squadron  off  Cadiz.  Nelson  at 
this  time  had  received  no  intelligence  of  the  British 
Government's  resolution  to  commence  hostilities 
against  Spain,  and  it  was  five  weeks  after  Sir  John 
Orde  had  been  stationed  before  Cadiz  that  Nelson 
heard  of  his  being  in  those  seas.  The  prizes  taken 
by  Orde  and  his  ships  were  rich  and  numerous.  In 
a  month  the*  money  thus  earned  enriched  the  Ad- 


246  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  46 


miral  and  his  officers  for  life.  Never  could  a  greater 
wrong  have  been  done  to  any  man  in  Nelson's  posi- 
tion. It  is  indeed  one  of  the  few  insufferable  pas- 
sages of  British  maritime  annals.  If  anything  could 
have  crushed  the  spirit  of  this  great  man,  im- 
paired his  magnificent  patriotism,  weakened  his 
superb  quality  of  dutifulness  to  his  King  and 
to  his  Country,  it  was  this.  "  Surely,"  he  exclaims 
to  Lady  Hamilton,  writing  under  the  belief  that 
Orde  (a  person  he  strongly  disliked,  and  with  good 
reason)  had  been  sent  out  to  take  the  command 
from  him,  "  I  never  served  faithfully,  I  have  only 
dreamt  I  have  done  my  duty  to  the  advantage  of 
my  country."  But  his  noble  heart  rises  above  all 
considerations  of  self.  "  The  world,"  he  says,  in 
the  same  letter,  "  will  see  what  a  sacrifice  I  am 
ready  to  make  for  the  service  of  my  King  and 
Country,  for  what  greater  sacrifice  could  I  make 
than  serving  for  a  moment  under  Sir  John  Orde?" 
Coleridge  has  eloquently  commented  on  this  wretch- 
ed business.  "  It  was  indeed  an  unexampled  cir- 
cumstance that  a  small  squadron  should  be  sent 
to  the  station  which  had  been  long  occupied  by 
a  large  fleet,  commanded  by  the  Darling  of  the 
Navy  and  the  glory  of  the  British  Empire  ;  to  the 
station  where  this  fleet  had  for  years  been  wearing 
away  in  the  most  barren,  repulsive,  and  spirit-trying 
service  in  which  the  Navy  can  be  employed  !  And 
that  this  minor  squadron  should  be  sent  independent 
of,  and  without  any  connnunication  with,  the  com- 
mander of  the  former  fleet,  for  the  express  and 
solitary    purpose    of    stepping   between    it   and    the 


1803-5]  The  French  Fleet.  247 


Spanish  prizes,  and,  as  soon  as  this  short  and  pleas- 
ant service  was  performed,  of  bringing  home  the 
unshared  booty  with  all  possible  caution  and  dis- 
patch." And  he  quotes  Nelson's  affecting  sen- 
tences :  "  It  was  not  enough  to  have  robbed  me 
once  before  of  my  West-India  harvest — now  they 
have  taken  away  the  Spanish, — and  under  what  cir- 
cumstances, and  with  what  pointed  aggravation  ! 
Yet,  if  I  know  my  own  thoughts,  it  is  not  for  myself 
or  on  my  own  account  chiefly  that  I  feel  the  sting 
and  the  disappointment :  no  !  It  is  for  my  brave 
of^cers  ;  for  my  noble-minded  friends  and  command- 
ers— such  a  gallant  set  of  fellows  !  Such  a  band 
of  brothers  !  My  heart  swells  at  the  thought  of 
them."* 

He  was  again  off  Toulon,  in  the  early  part  of  Janu- 
ary, 1805.  On  the  nth  the  fleet  anchored  in  Agin- 
court  Sound,  Nelson's  baiting-haunt  in  the  Magdal- 
ena  Islands,  leaving  the  frigates  Active  and  Seahorse 
to  watch  the  enemy's  port.  His  force  at  this  time 
consisted  of  eleven  sail-of-the-line.  On  the  17th 
the  French  fleet  put  to  sea  from  Toulon.  It  con- 
sisted of  four  8o's  and  seven  74's,  together  with 
seven  frigates  and  two  brigs ;  the  whole  under  thfe 
command  of  Vice-Admiral  Villeneuve,  amongst 
whose  ships  there  was  also  distributed  a  body  of 
3,500  troops,  under  General  Lauriston.  The  enemy 
was  descried  by  the  Active  and  the  Seahorse,  and 
these  frigates  by  carrying  a  press  of  sail  were  by 
about  two  o'clock  on  the  19th  able  by  a  distant 
signal  to   notify   to   Nelson   that   the   French   were 

*  "  The  Friend,"     Bohn's  edition. 


248  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         L^t.  46 

at  sea.  At  half-past  four  the  English  fleet  were 
under  sail.  It  was  almost  dark,  and  a  strong  breeze 
of  wind  was  blowing  from  the  westward,  against 
which  the  ships  could  not  work.  The  alternative 
then  must  be  a  choice  of  the  complex  eastern 
passages,  which  open  into  the  Tuscan  Sea.  The 
night  had  settled  down  black,  but  Nelson  did  not 
hesitate.  The  Victory  took  the  lead  with  a  light  on 
her  stern,  and  led  the  way  in  safety  through  a  chan- 
nel, whose  breadth  was  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
This  is  a  picture  to  remember  :  the  sullen  loom  of 
the  Biocian  and  Sardinian  rocks,  on  either  hand  ;  the 
narrow  space  of  dark  waters,  flashful  with  leaps  of 
pallid  froth  to  the  whipping  of  the  strong  wind  howl- 
ing through  the  channel  ;  the  towering  forms  of  the 
British  ships  in  line  ahead,  sweeping  in  a  phantom- 
like procession  after  that  heap  of  windy  faintness  of 
lofty  canvas  denoting  the  Victory,  upon  whose  quar- 
ter-deck paces  the  restless  figure  of  Nelson  ! 

His  progress  was  arrested  by  a  heavy  gale  on  the 
20th.  He  despatched  frigates,  but  could  obtain  no 
information.  "  What  would  I  give  to  know  where 
they  are  bound  to,  or  to  see  them  !  "  he  says,  in  a 
letter  to  Sir  Alexander  Ball.  "  The  result  of  meet- 
ing I  should  be  a  wretch  to  doubt."  His  conviction 
was,  that  the  enemy's  destination  was  Egypt.  He 
was  now  renewing  an  old  and  bitter  experience 
of  anxiety;  once  again  scouring  the  Mediterranean 
for  the  French,  as  he  had  before  swept  those  blue 
waters  ere  lighting  on  the  foe  in  Aboukir  Bay.  On 
February  the  i8tli  he  tells  Lady  Hamilton  that  he 
has  already  traversed  one  thousand  leagues  of  sea 


1803-5]  Driven  Back  to  Port.  249 

after  the  French.  Then  for  three  weeks  came  a 
succession  of  gales,  the  worst  weather,  he  declared, 
he  had  ever  seen,  and  on  the  8th  of  March  he  was 
at  anchor  again  in  the  Gulf  of  Palmas. 

In  the  meantime  the  French,  after  quitting  Tou- 
lon, encountered  much  the  same  sort  of  weather 
that  had  distracted  Nelson,  and  most  of  them  had 
been  driven,  on  or  about  the  20th  of  February,  back 
to  their  port  with  much  damage  to  their  masts  and 
rigging.  Villeneuve  lost  no  time  in  refitting.  By 
the  time  he  was  ready  to  sail,  his  force  consisted 
of  eleven  line-of-battle  ships,  six  frigates,  and  two 
brigs.  On  the  15th  Nelson  was  again  in  his  old 
winter  station  to  the  eastward  of  Cape  San  Sebas- 
tian, and  on  the  27th  returned  to  the  Gulf  of  Pal- 
mas, where  the  victuallers  and  store-ships  were 
lying.  Two  days  later  Villeneuve  once  more  set 
sail  from  Toulon  Road  with  the  whole  of  his  fleet. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Scott's  diary  briefly  hints  at  Nel- 
son's movements  during  this  harassing  period.  On 
April  the  27th  he  writes  that  he  has  just  come  on 
board  his  sea-house,  the  Victory  (he  is  speaking  of 
himself),  and  that  the  latest  news  is  that  the  French 
have  sailed  from  Toulon.  On  April  the  28th  the 
British  are  off  Alicante ;  on  May  the  4th  they  are  in 
Tetuan  Bay,  and  on  the  6th  in  the  harbor  of  Gib- 
raltar. An  instance  of  Nelson's  sagacity  and  alert- 
ness is  given  when  the  ships  were  still  refitting  in 
Mazari  Bay.*  The  officers  and  men  had  gone 
ashore,  and  the  linen  was  landed  to  be  washed. 
Nelson,  ever  on  the  look-out  for  a   fair  wind,  per- 

*  According  to  James,  though  Scott  says  Gibraltar. 


250  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         r^t.  46 

ceived  indications  of  a  change.  A  gun  was  fired 
from  the  Victory,  and  Blue  Peter  sent  aloft,  whilst 
Nelson  hurriedly  paced  the  deck,  full  of  temper  and 
impatient  of  a  moment's  delay.  The  of^cers  who 
were  ashore  exclaimed,  "  Here  is  one  of  Nelson's 
mad  pranks,"  but  he  proved  right  nevertheless  ;  a 
fair  wind  blew,  the  linen  was  left  on  shore,  and  the 
ships  sailed  away.* 

By  this  time  Nelson  was  persuaded  that  the 
French  had  sailed  to  the  West  Indies,  and  he  re- 
solved at  all  risks  to  follow  them.  His  chaplain 
tells  us  that  there  was  a  variety  of  opinion  as  to  the 
route  the  enemy  had  taken,  many  believing  that  he 
had  gone  to  Ireland.  "  If  I  fail,"  said  Nelson  to  Dr. 
Scott, — "if  they  are  not  gone  to  the  West  Indies,  I 
shall  be  blamed  ;  to  be  burnt  in  ef^gy  or  West- 
minster Abbey  is  my  alternative  !  "  At  six  o'clock 
on  the  evening  of  the  7th  of  May  he  weighed  from 
Rozia  Bay,  Gibraltar,  and  went  away  through  the 
Gut  with  a  fine  easterly  wind.  On  the  loth  he 
anchored  in  Lagos  Bay,  where  he  took  in  five 
months'  provisions,  and  sailed  again  on  the  nth 
with  ten  ships  of  the  line  and  three  frigates  in  chase 
of  the  enemy's  fleet,  which  he  knew  consisted  of 
eighteen  ships  of  the  line  and  at  least  three  times 
his  number  of  frigates. 

Nothing  of  moment  happened  during  the  run 
across  the  Atlantic.  It  is  characteristic  of  Nelson 
that  having  to  take  a  large  land-force  afloat  he  would 
not  suffer  any  distinction  in  the  allowance  between 
soldiers  and  sailors.     The  custom  was  to  serve  out 


*  "  Recollections,"   171. 


1803-5]  Hunting  the  French.  251 

one  pound  of  meat  a  day  to  the  seamen  and  three 
quarters  of  a  pound  only  to  the  soldiers,  but  Nel- 
son's orders  were  that  so  long  as  the  troops  were 
under  his  command  the  rations  to  the  two  services 
should  be  equal.  The  fleet  anchored  in  Carlisle 
Bay,  Barbadoes,  on  the  4th  of  June.  His  pursuit  of 
the  enemy  was  a  succession  of  disappointments. 
He  heard  of  the  French  as  bound  to  Tobago  and 
Trinidad,  took  on  board  two  thousand  troops,  and 
weighed,  only  to  learn  that  he  had  been  misled. 
For  this  disappointment  he  had  to  thank  General 
Brereton,  who  had  communicated  to  him  the  emphatic 
assurance  "that  twenty-eight  sail  of  the  enemy's  fleet 
had  passed  to  windward  of  Gros  Islet." 

On  the  6th  of  June  the  English  fleet  arrived  off 
Great  Courland  Bay,  Tobago,  where  all  was  bustle 
and  distress.  One  of  the  merchants,  desperately 
anxious  to  ascertain  whether  the  congregation  of 
ships  which  had  hove  in  sight  were  a  friend  or 
enemy,  despatched  his  clerk  in  a  small  schooner  with 
instructions  to  reconnoitre  the  men-of-war.  As  ex- 
traordinary a  coincidence  as  ever  happened  at  sea 
followed  ;  the  signal  made  by  the  clerk  exactly 
corresponded  with  the  affirmative  signal  which  had 
been  agreed  on  to  inform  the  British  of  the  enemy 
being  at  Trinidad.  The  evening  was  closing  round, 
and  the  mistake  was  not  discovered.  The  news  flew 
throughout  the  British  ships,  every  vessel  was  ready 
for  action  by  daybreak,  and  Nelson  confidently  an- 
ticipated a  second  Aboukir  in  the  Bay  of  Paria. 
Clarke  and  M'Arthur,  who  tell  this  story,  add  that 
Nelson  and    his  officers  were  almost  persuaded  to 


252  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         f^t.46 

doubt  the  evidence  of  their  senses  when  on  entering 
the  Gulf  of  Paria  they  not  only  saw  there  was  no 
enemy,  but  learned  that  the  French  fleet  had  never 
been  there.*  Nelson's  irritation  was  extreme,  and 
the  name  of  Brereton  haunted  his  mind  like  a  male- 
diction. "  If  either  General  Brereton,"  he  tells  Lord 
Robert  Fitzgerald,  "  could  not  have  wrote  or  his 
look-out  man  had  been  blind  nothing  could  have 
prevented  my  fighting  them  on  June  the  6th  ;  but 
such  information  and  from  such  a  quarter  close  to 
the  enemy  could  not  be  doubted." 

In  the  first  week  of  June  Villeneuve  had  learnt 
that  Nelson  had  arrived  in  the  West  Indies  in 
search  of  him.  The  force  under  the  British  Admiral 
was  greatly  exaggerated,  and  Villeneuve,  much 
alarmed,  on  the  9th  or  loth  of  the  month,  hastily 
embarked  all  the  troops  which  had  been  withdrawn 
from  Martinique  and  Guadaloupe,  and  shortly  after- 
wards, with  the  combined  squadrons,  set  sail  for 
Europe.  Nelson  pursued  him.  A  fragmentary 
narrative  of  the  chase  may  be  obtained  from  his 
correspondence  and  dispatches.  It  was  on  June  the 
13th  that  he  came  to  the  conclusion  the  enemy  was 
on  his  way  home.  He  followed,  but  never  came 
within  sight  of  the  foe.  Indeed  the  information  he 
obtained  was  of  the  scantiest.  He  flattered  himself 
that  he  was  within  eighty  leagues  of  the  two  squad- 
rons and  kept  thrashing  his  ships  through  it,  whilst 
the  wind  continued  to  blow,  under  every  stitch  that 
could  be  stretched  upon  their  yards.  On  the  i8th  a 
little  American  schooner  called  the  Sally  was  spoken 

*Vol.  ii.,  p.  409, 


1803-5]  Miserable  Progress.  253 

and  afterwards  boarded.  She  had  apparently  news  of 
importance  to  communicate  ;  an  entr}'-  in  her  log- 
book, dated  two  days  previously,  stated  that  twenty- 
two  sail  of  large  ships  had  been  sighted  to  the 
eastward  standing  on  a  northerly  course,  and  the 
Yankee  skipper  wrote  down  that  he  supposed  them 
to  be  the  French  fleet  from  Martinique  going  home. 
Both  he  and  his  mate  went  to  the  mast-head  of  the 
schooner  to  take  a  view  of  the  distant  clouds  of  can- 
vas, and  were  positive  that  they  were  men-of-war 
having  royals,  stay-sails,  and  all  sails  set,  showing  as 
low  as  the  heads  of  the  courses.  But  the  wind  slack- 
ened ;  Nelson's  squadron  was  bothered  with  light 
and  variable  airs.  On  the  21st  he  wrote  in  his  private 
diary:  "Midnight,  nearly  calm,  saw  three  planks, 
which  I  think  come  from  the  French  Fleet.  Very 
miserable,  which  is  very  foolish."  So  for  days: 
nothing  but  light  breezes.  He  writes  to  the  captains 
of  his  ships  to  come  and  dine  with  him,  "  For  I  've 
too  much  fear  that  we  shall  not  have  a  wind  to 
move  us  faster  than  Boats  can  pass."  We  can  figure 
the  mortification  and  bitterness  with  which  he  writes 
down  in  his  private  diary  on  the  8th  of  July :  "  We 
crawled  35  miles  the  last  24  hours;  my  only  hope  is 
that  the  Enemy's  Fleet  are  near  us  and  in  the  same 
situation."  The  day  before  Cape  Spartel  hove  in 
sight  he  notes  that  the  whole  run  "  from  Barbuda 
day  by  day  was  3459  miles,"  and  that  the  average 
per  day  was  thirty-four  leagues,  wanting  nine  miles. 
On  the  day  following  the  date  of  this  entry  the 
combined  squadrons  arrived  off  Cape  Finisterre,  and 
on  the    19th  the  British  fleet  arrived   in  Gibraltar 


254  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  46 

Bay.  "  I  went  on  shore,"  writes  Nelson  in  his  private 
diary  on  the  20th,  *'  for  the  first  time  since  the  i6th 
of  June,  1803  ;  and  from  having  my  foot  out  of  the 
'Victory  two  years  wanting  ten  days."  One  cannot 
but  muse  a  moment  on  such  a  statement  as  this. 
Two  )'ears  all  but  ten  days  of  shipboard,  and  of  such 
shipboard  as  was  then  afloat !  Except  the  instance  of 
Collingwood,  and  what  is  there  in  the  annals  that  can 
be  found  in  any  degree  to  correspond  with  the  mar- 
vellous spirit  of  devotion  exhibited  in  this  long  term 
of  voluntary  imprisonment  ?  To  appreciate  the  mag- 
nanimous patriotism  which  inspired  and  governed 
him,  we  should  read  his  correspondence  with  Lady 
Hamilton  during  those  two  years  ;  remember  the 
fascination  the  beautiful  woman  had  for  him,  how 
his  heart  yearned  to  return  to  her,  with  what  pas- 
sionate eagerness  he  desired  a  sight  of  his  beloved 
little  Horatia ;  and  we  must  contrast  what  he  knew 
awaited  him  at  Merton  with  the  dull  and  grinding 
routine  of  the  blockading  life.  His  bad  health,  too, 
is  to  be  remembered ;  and  the  wound  that  had  been 
dealt  his  pride  and  his  affection  for  his  shipmates 
and  companions,  through  Sir  John  Orde,  was  a  con- 
stant pain.  Add  the  bitter  anxieties  of  the  period 
of  the  Toulon  blockade  to  the  yet  bitterer  anxieties 
which  followed  upon  the  escape  of  the  French  fleet, 
and  the  prodigious  weight  of  responsibility  which 
must  attend  his  determination  to  measure  the 
breadth  of  the  Atlantic  in  pursuit  of  the  recreant 
foe.  Noble  as  Nelson  always  was,  never  in  the 
glorious  hour  of  decisive  victory  does  he  show  more 
nobly  than   during  those   two   years  of   hard  servi- 


3  z 

H  < 

O  s 

2  o 

CO  ^ 


1803-51  A  Cori'ect  Explanation.  255 

tude,  of  trials,  disappointments,  worries,  injurious 
usage,  and  of  absention  from  all  the  comforts,  re- 
finements, and  elegancies  of  the  life  he  might  have 
led  ashore. 

An  incident  that  has  the  character  of  a  passage  in 
a  marine  romance  occurred  during  this  great  ocean 
chase.  Much  about  the  3d  of  August,  after  having 
passed  the  Straits  for  Cape  St.  Vincent,  the  fleet 
fell  in  with  an  American  merchant  ship,  the  captain 
of  which  possessed  a  log-book  that  he  had  removed 
from  an  abandoned  and  fire-blackened  hulk.  There 
were  also  found  a  few  seamen's  jackets  in  the  cabin. 
Nelson  inspected  the  things,  and  observed  that  the 
last  entry  of  the  log-book  contained  these  words  : 
"  Two  large  vessels  in  the  W.  N.  W.,"  from  which 
he  inferred  that  the  derelict  had  been  a  Liverpool 
privateer,  cruising  off  the  Western  Islands.  Whilst 
the  log-book  was  being  handled,  a  scrap  of  dirty 
paper  covered  with  figures  fell  out  of  it.  "  These 
are  French  figures,"  exclaimed  Nelson,  and  presently 
added  :  "  I  can  explain  the  whole  !  The  jackets  are 
of  French  manufacture,  and  prove  that  the  priva- 
teer was  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  She  had  been 
chased  and  taken  by  the  two  ships  that  were  seen  in 
the  W.  N.  W.  The  prizemaster,  going  on  board  in  a 
hurry,  forgot  to  take  with  him  his  reckoning  ;  there 
is  none  in  the  log-book,  and  the  dirty  paper  contains 
his  work  for  the  number  of  days  since  the  privateer 
left  Corvo,  with  an  unaccounted-for  run,  which  I  take 
to  have  been  the  chase,  in  his  endeavour  to  find  out 
his  situation  by  back-reckoning.  By  some  misman- 
agement, I  conclude  she  was  run  on  board  by  one  of 


256 


The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  46 


the  enemy's  ships  and  dismasted.  Not  liking  delay 
— for  I  am  satisfied  that  those  two  ships  were  the 
advanced  ones  of  the  French  squadron — and  fancy- 
ing we  were  close  at  their  heels,  they  set  fire  to  the 
vessel,  and  abandoned  her  in  a  hurry."  The  sagacity 
of  this  speculation  finds  confirmation  in  the  conjec- 
ture of  the  historian  :  that  the  log-book  was  that  of 
the  Liverpool  privateer  Mars,  which  had  been  cap- 
tured, and  that  the  scrap  of  paper  was  in  the  hand- 
writing of  a  Spaniard.  "  Whichever  way  it  was,  the 
inference  remained  just  as  the  Vice-Admiral  had 
drawn  it,  that  the  capturing  fleet  had  steered  to 
the  northward.* 


*  James.     III.,  355. 


Arrival  in  England  —  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  — 
George  III. — Lord  Sidmouth's  story — Keats's 
anecdote  of  Nelson — Interview  with  Black- 
wood— Lady  Hamilton's  fanciful  storj' — At 
Portsmouth — Junction  at  Cadiz — Strength  of 
British  fleet — The  combined  fleets — Beatty's 
account  of  Nelson — Blackwood  to  his  wife — 
Nelson  to  his  child — The  enemy  sails. 

N  the  15th  of  August,  Nelson  joined 
Admiral  Cornwallis  off  Ushant,  and 
on  the  same  evening  resumed  his 
passage  to  Portsmouth  in  the  Victory,  accompanied 
by  the  Superb.  On  the  i8th  he  anchored  at  Spit- 
head  and  after  a  brief  term  of  quarantine  struck 
his  flag.  He  arrived  at  Merton  on  the  morning 
of  the  20th,  and  remained  there  till  the  13th  of 
the  following  month.  There  are  but  few  memorials 
of  this  brief  holiday.  It  is  stated  that  before  he 
quitted  London  to  rejoin  the  fleet  he  called  at 
Mr.  Peddieson's,  an  upholsterer,  in  Brewer  Street, 
who  had  charge  of  the  cofifin  form.ed  out  of  the 
wood  of  L' Orient,  and  with  an  air  of  gaiety  and 
good  temper  requested  that  an  attestation  of  its 
identity  should  be  engraved  on  the  lid,  adding,  "  I 
17  257 


258  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  46 

think  it  highly  probable  that  I  may  want  it  on  my 
return."  Three  days  after  his  arrival  at  Merton,  a 
meeting  of  West  India  merchants  was  convened, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  a  deputation  should  wait 
upon  the  Admiral  to  express  the  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments of  every  individual  connected  with  the 
West  Indian  colonies  for  his  prompt  determination 
to  quit  the  Mediterranean  in  search  of  the  French 
fleet,  for  his  sagacity  in  ascertaining  their  course, 
and  for  his  bold  and  unwearied  pursuit  of  the 
enemy,  by  which  the  safety  of  the  West  India 
Islands  in  general  was  secured. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  Nelson  is  said  to 
have  met  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  then  Sir  Arthur 
Wellesley.  Sir  Arthur  had  recently  returned  from 
his  campaign  in  India.  Nelson  was  in  the  waiting- 
room  of  the  Secretary  of  State  when  Wellesley 
entered.  The  Admiral  did  not  know  him,  but  the 
numerous  portraits  of  Nelson  would  have  long 
before  rendered  his  features  familiar  to  the  future 
great  Field-Marshal.  They  had  some  time  to  wait, 
and  were  soon  engaged  in  conversation.  The  news 
of  Sir  Robert  Calder's  action  had  just  been  received 
— an  action  disastrous  to  the  career,  though  not  to 
the  reputation,  of  Sir  Robert,  but  of  immeasurable 
importance  to  the  security  of  our  coasts  * — and  Sir 
Arthur  Wellesley  said  to  Nelson  :  "  This  measure  of 
success  won't  do  nowadays — for  your  Lordship  has 
taught  the  public  to  expect  something  more  brill- 

*  It  diverted  tlie  enemy  from  the  Channel  to  Cadiz,  out  of  which 
they  were  starved  into  hostilities.  But  for  Calder,  Trafalgar  never 
would  have  been  fought — whatever  else  might  have  happened. 


1805]  An  Unsatisfactory  Interview.  259 


iant."  Shortly  after  this  Nelson  left  the  room,  pre- 
sumably to  ascertain  who  his  new  friend  was  ;  but 
quickly  returned  and  started  the  conversation  on  a 
fresh  footing.  He  had  some  project  in  his  mind  for 
occupying  Sardinia,  and  he  wanted  Sir  Arthur  to 
take  charge  of  the  troops  on  that  occasion,  but 
Wellesley  replied  that  he  would  rather  not — that  he 
had  just  returned  from  India, — in  short  he  did  not 
enter  into  Nelson's  view.  Soon  after  this  the  Hero 
sailed,  and  needless  to  say  these  two  great  men — the 
one  Buonaparte's  destroyer  by  sea,  the  other  his  ex- 
tinguisher by  land— never  met  again.* 

We  have  it,  on  the  authority  of  Brenton,  that  the 
last  interview  between  George  HI.  and  Nelson  "  was 
anything  but  satisfactory  to  the  latter."  He  asserts 
that  the  King  never  exchanged  a  word  with  Nelson 
at  the  levee  at  Buckingham  House  after  the  affair  at 
Boulogne.  Whether  it  was  the  death  of  Caracciolo 
or  Nelson's  relations  with  Lady  Hamilton  which 
displeased  his  Majesty,  Brenton  is  unable  to  decide, 
but  the  fact  is  certain.  "  The  King  wished  to  have 
seen  him,  and  sent  a  message  to  him  to  that  effect 


*  Edinburgh  Review,  1838,  331,  332.  The  passage  occurs  in  a 
review  of  Barrow's  "Life  of  Earl  Howe,"  and  the  writer  adds: 
"  How  gratifying  and  instructive  would  it  not  be  if  we  could  obtain 
an  account  of  the  whole  of  the  conversation,  of  which  we  have 
gathered  merely  the  above  small  but  authentic  particulars  ! "  Wel- 
lington, in  referring  to  this  meeting  (at  Walmer,  in  October,  1834), 
spoke  of  Nelson's  conversation  as  all  about  himself,  "and  in  really 
a  style  so  vain  and  so  silly  as  to  surprise  me.  I  suppose  something 
that  I  happened  to  say  made  him  guess  that  I  was  somebody,  and  he 
went  out  of  the  room  for  a  moment,  I  have  no  doubt  to  ask  the  office- 
keeper  who  I  was,  for  when  he  came  back  he  was  altogether  a  differ- 
ent man,  both  in  manner  and  matter," 


26o  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  46 

just  before  Nelson  sailed  from  England  to  take  the 
command  of  the  fleet  off  Cadiz  ;  but  the  letter  never 
reached  him  till  he  arrived  on  the  last  scene  of  his 
earthly  glory."  * 

It  is  remarkable  that  long  before  Nelson  sailed 
he  should  have  thoroughly  digested  those  very  ma- 
noeuvres which  subsequently  resulted  in  the  over- 
whelming defeat  of  the  combined  fleets  of  France  and 
Spain.  He  had,  no  doubt — true  to  his  old  custom, 
— reviewed  in  his  mind,  during  the  many  lonely 
hours  he  had  spent  in  blockading  and  in  chasing, 
every  imaginable  posture  in  which  the  enemy  could 
offer  himself ;  but  it  is  astonishing  to  find  human 
sagacity  rising  into  absolute  prophecy,  as  assuredly 
happened  in  the  case  of  Nelson,  who  appears  to  have 
anticipated  the  exact  order  in  which  the  confederated 
foe  would  appear.  It  is  told  in  Dean  Pellew's  "  Life 
of  Lord  Sidmouth  "  that,  shortly  before  Nelson's  de- 
parture. Lord  Sidmouth  wrote  to  ask  him  to  take 
Richmond  Park,  on  his  way  from  Merton  to  London. 
Nelson  sent  this  answer:  "On  Tuesday  forenoon, 
if  Superior  Powers  do  not  prevent  me,  I  will  be 
in  Richmond  Park,  and  shall  be  happy  in  taking 
you  by  the  hand  and  to  wish  you  a  most  perfect 
restoration  to  health."  This  was  the  last  letter 
Lord  Sidmouth  ever  received  from  his  illustrious 
friend  ;  he  cherished   it  greatly,  and  wrote  thus  at 

*  "  Life  of  Si.  Vincent,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  4S.  Much  tliat  Hrenton  tells  he 
collects  from  loose  naval  talk.  Yet  there  is  a  foundation  for  most  of 
his  statements,  and  he  is  worth  attention  for  that  reason.  It  is  doubt- 
ful whether  he  is  not  confusing  the  King  with  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
The  latter  certainly  invited  Nelson  to  Carlton  House,  before  he  sailed, 
to  bid  him  farewell. 


1606]  An  Historical  Table.  261 

the  foot  of  it  :  "  Lord  Nelson  came  on  that  day, 
and  passed  some  hours  at  Richmond  Park.  This 
was  our  last  meeting."  In  after  years  he  used  to 
relate  to  his  friends  the  particulars  of  this  interview. 
There  was  a  little  study-table  in  the  room  ;  Nelson 
went  to  it  and  scored  diagrams  upon  it  with  his 
finger,  to  explain  the  manner  in  which,  if  the  com- 
bined fleets  offered  to  fight  him,  he  proposed  to 
attack  them.  "  Rodney,"  he  said,  "  broke  the  line 
in  one  point  ;  I  will  break  it  in  two." — "  There," 
Lord  Sidmouth  said, — "  There  is  the  table  on  which 
he  drew  the  plan  of  the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  but  five 
weeks  before  his  death.  It  is  strange  that  I  should 
have  used  this  valued  relic  for  above  thirty  years 
without  having  once  thought  of  recording  upon  it  a 
fact  so  interesting.  Now  I  have  perpetuated  it  by 
this  brief  record  :  — 

"  '  On  the  loih  day  of  September,  1805,  Vice- Admiral 
Lord  Viscount  Nelson  described  to  Lord  Sidmoutli,  upon  t/iis 
table,  tJie  jnanner  i?i  which  he  intended  to  engage  tJie  com- 
bined Fleets  of  Fraiice  and  Spain,  which  he  expected  shortly 
to  meet.  LLe  stated  that  he  should  attack  them  in  two  lines, 
led  by  himself  and  Admiral  Collingwood,  and  felt  confident 
that  he  should  capture  either  their  van  and  centre,  or  their 
centre  and  rear.  This  lie  successfully  effected,  on  the  2\st 
of  October,  following,  in  the  glorious  Battle  of  Trafalgar'  " 

There  is  another  anecdote  which  illustrates  his 
far-sightedness.  In  the  few  brief  days  he  spent  at 
Merton  he  was  visited  by  his  friend  Keats  (after- 
wards Admiral  Sir  Richard  Keats)  and  whilst  they 
were  walking  in  the  grounds  talking  on  naval  mat- 


262  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.46 

ters  he  exclaimed  :  "  No  day  can  be  long  enough 
to  arrange  a  couple  of  Fleets  and  fight  a  decisive 
Battle  according  to  the  old  system.  When  we 
meet  them  (Keats  was  to  have  been  with  him), 
for  meet  them  we  shall,  I  '11  tell  }-ou  how  I  shall 
fight.  I  shall  form  the  Fleet  into  three  Divisions 
in  three  Lines.  One  Division  shall  be  composed 
of  twelve  or  fourteen  of  the  fastest  two-decked 
ships,  which  I  shall  keep  always  to  windward,  or  in 
a  situation  of  advantage ;  and  I  shall  put  them 
under  an  Oflficer  who  I  am  sure  would  employ 
them  in  the  manner  I  wish,  if  possible.  I  con- 
sider it  will  always  be  in  my  power  to  throw  them 
into  Battle  in  any  part  I  may  choose  ;  but  if  cir- 
cumstances prevent  their  being  carried  against  the 
Enemy  where  I  desire,  I  shall  feel  certain  he  will 
employ  them  effectually,  and  perhaps  in  a  more 
advantageous  manner  than  if  he  could  have  followed 
my  orders.  With  the  remaining  part  of  the  fleet 
formed  in  two  lines,  I  shall  go  at  them  at  once  if  I 
can,  about  one  third  of  their  line  from  their  leading 
ship.  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?  "  His  companion 
paused.  "  But  I  '11  tell  you  what  /  think  of  it," 
broke  in  Nelson,  "  I  think  it  will  surprise  and  con- 
found the  enemy.  They  won't  know  what  I  am 
about.  It  will  bring  forward  a  pell-mell  Battle,  and 
that  is  what  I  want."* 

On  the  2d  of  September,  Captain  Henry  Black- 
wood arrived  in  London  with  important  news  for 
the  Admiralty.  He  had  been  despatched  from  the 
Irish  station  by  Admiral  Drury,  with  instructions  to 

*  Quoted  by  Nicolas.     Vol.  vii.,  p.  241. 


1805]  Intervieiv  with  Blackwood.  263 

trace  the  movements  of  the  combined  fleets  under 
Villeneuve  and  Gravina,  who  had  put  to  sea  from 
Ferrol  after  the  action  with  Sir  Robert  Calder  off 
Finisterre.  Blackwood  watched  them  into  Cadiz, 
then  after  a  passage  of  five  days  arrived  in  England 
to  report  the  fact.  On  his  way  to  London  he  called 
at  Merton.  The  hour  was  about  five  in  the  morn- 
ing, but  Nelson  was  already  up.  He  instantly 
exclaimed  to  Blackwood  :  "  I  am  sure  you  bring  me 
news  of  the  French  and  Spanish  fleets  and  I  think  I 
shall  yet  have  to  meet  them."  He  followed  Black- 
wood to  London  and  several  times  said  to  him  when 
they  again  met,  on  speaking  of  the  operations  he 
contemplated  on  returning  to  the  Mediterranean  : 
"  Depend  on  it,  Blackwood,  I  shall  yet  give  Mr. 
Villeneuve  a  drubbing."* 

In  Harrison's  "  Life  of  Lord  Nelson  "  this  anec- 
dote, which  is  unquestionably  authentic,  is  very 
dramatically  amplified.  It  is  there  related  that  Cap- 
tain Blackwood's  account  of  the  enemy's  fleet  "  was 
nothing  to  "  Nelson,  who  exclaimed  :  "  Let  the  man 
trudge  it,  who  has  lost  his  budget  !  "  But  though  he 
said  this  gaily,  Lady  Hamilton  observed  that  his 
countenance  fell  and  wore  an  air  of  gloom.  He  went 
for  a  walk  with  her  in  one  of  the  paths  of  Merton 
Garden,  which  he  always  called  the  Quarter-deck, 
and  she  told  him  that  she  perceived  he  was  low  and 
uneasy.  "  No,"  he  answered  with  a  smile,  "  I  am  as 
happy  as  possible,"   adding   "  that   he   saw   himself 

*  Blackwood's  Magazine,  1833.  All  that  relates  to  Blackwood  in 
these  pages  is  quoted  from  the  memoir  of  him  and  his  letters  in  that 
journal,  with  Nicolas's  corrections  of  the  correspondence. 


264  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  46 

surrounded  by  his  family ;  that  he  found  his  health 
better  since  he  had  been  at  Merton  ;  and  that  he 
would  not  give  a  sixpence  to  call  the  King  his  uncle." 
To  this  Lady  Hamilton  replied  :  "  That  she  did  not 
believe  what  he  said,  and  that  she  would  tell  him 
what  was  the  matter  with  him  ;  that  he  was  longing 
to  get  at  these  French  and  Spanish  fleets  ;  that  he 
considered  them  as  his  own  property,  and  would  be 
miserable  if  any  other  man  than  himself  did  the 
business  ;  that  he  must  have  them,  as  the  price  and 
reward  of  his  long  watching,  and  two  years'  uncom- 
fortable situation  in  the  Mediterranean."  And  she 
finished  by  saying :  "  Nelson,  however  we  may 
lament  your  absence,  and  your  so  speedily  leaving 
us,  offer  your  services,  immediately,  to  go  off  Cadiz  ; 
they  will  be  accepted,  and  you  will  gain  a  quiet  heart 
by  it.  You  will  have  a  glorious  victory  ;  and  then 
you  may  come  here,  have  your  otiiun  aun  dignitate, 
and  be  happy."  He  looked  at  her  for  some  moments 
in  silence,  and  then,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  exclaimed  : 
"  Brave  Emma  !  Good  Emma  !  If  there  were  more 
Emmas  there  would  be  more  Nelsons  ;  you  have 
penetrated  my  thoughts.  I  wish  all  you  say,  but 
was  afraid  to  trust  even  myself  with  reflecting  on  the 
subject.     However,  I  will  go  to  town." 

The  reader  must  exert  his  own  judgment  in  ac- 
cepting this.  It  was  dictated  to  Harrison  by  Lady 
Hamilton  some  time  after  Lord  Nelson's  death, 
when  she  was  sparing  no  effort  to  obtain  from  an 
ungrateful  country  those  rewards  which  she  professed 
to  consider  she  had  as  fully  earned  as  Nelson  himself. 

Whether  because  of,  or  in  spite  of,  his  "  Guardian 


1805]  Leaves  Merton.  265 


Angel,"  Nelson  was  now  all  eagerness  to  get  at  the 
combined  fleets.  He  was  apprehensive  of  nothing 
but  an  insufficiency  of  ships ;  concerned  lest  the 
Admiralty  should  supply  him  with  a  force  within  at 
least  fifteen  or  sixteen  sail-of-the-line  of  the  enemy  ; 
so  that  if  every  British  ship  took  her  opponent  there 
would  be  still  a  fleet  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  sail-of-the-^ 
line  fresh  and  untouched  to  fight,  "  But  I  will  do 
my  best,"  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Davison,  "  and  I  hope 
God  Almighty  will  go  with  me.  I  have  much  to 
lose,  but  little  to  gain  ;  and  I  go  because  it  is  right, 
and  I  will  serve  the  country  faithfully."  He  left 
Merton  on  the  night  of  Friday,  September  the  13th, 
at  half-past  ten  ;  but  before  quitting  the  house  he 
went  to  the  bedroom  in  which  his  child  Horatia  lay 
sleeping,  and  kneeling  down  by  the  little  girl's  bed- 
side, earnestly  prayed  that  God  would  bless  and  pro- 
tect her.  He  then  bade  Lady  Hamilton  farewell, 
entered  the  post-chaise,  and  started  for  Portsmouth. 
His  private  diary  contained  this  entry  :  "  Friday, 
Sept.  13th,  1805.  Friday  night,  at  half-past  ten 
drove  from  dear  dear  Merton,  where  I  left  all  which 
I  hold  dear  in  this  world,  to  go  to  serve  my  King 
and  Country.  May  the  great  God  whom  I  adore, 
enable  me  to  fulfil  the  expectations  of  my  country, 
and  if  it  is  His  good  Pleasure  that  I  should  return, 
my  thanks  will  never  cease  being  offered  up  to  the 
throne  of  His  Mercy.  If  it  is  His  good  providence 
to  cut  short  my  days  upon  earth,  I  bow  with  the 
greatest  submission,  relying  that  He  will  protect 
those  so  dear  to  me  that  I  may  leave  behind.  His 
will  be  done.     Amen,  Amen,  Amen." 


266  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelsofi.         t^t.  47 

He  arrived  at  the  George  Inn,  Portsmouth — the 
room  may  be  seen  where  he  breakfasted  before 
going  on  board  the  Victory — at  six  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  September  the  14th.  There  is  a  tradition 
that,  to  escape  the  crowd  which  filled  the  street  in 
front  of  the  inn,  he  made  his  way  out  through  a  back 
door.  It  is  certain,  at  all  events,  if  Southey  is  to  be 
credited,  that  crowds  were  waiting  on  the  beach  to 
witness  his  embarkation.  They  followed  him  to  the 
very  wash  of  the  water,  "  pressing  forward  to  obtain 
sight  of  his  face :  many  were  in  tears,  and  many 
knelt  down  before  him,  and  blessed  him  as  he  passed. 
England,"  continues  Southey,  "  has  had  many 
heroes,  but  never  one  who  so  entirely  possessed  the 
love  of  his  fellow-countrj^men  as  Nelson.^  All  men 
knew  that  his  heart  was  as  humane  as  it  was  fearless ; 
that  there  was  not  in  his  nature  the  slightest  alloy  of 
selfishness  or  cupidity;  but  that  with  perfect  and 
entire  devotion  he  served  his  country  with  all  his 
heart  and  with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all  his  strength: 
and  therefore  they  loved  him  as  truly  and  as  fervidly 
as  he  loved  England."  The  behaviour  of  the  crowd 
caused  him  to  say  to  Captain  Hardy :  "  I  had 
their  huzzas  before — I  have  their  hearts  now." 

On  the  1 8th,  the  Victory  was  joined  by  the  Ajax 
and  the  Thunderer,  and  on  the  26th,  Nelson  de- 
spatched Blackwood  in  the  £t(ry a/us  to  inform  Lord 
Collingwood  of  his  approach,  and  to  direct  that  when 
he  joined  the  fleet  and  assumed  command  there 
should  be  no  demonstration  of  salutes  or  of  flags, 
that  the  enemy  might  be  kept  in  ignorance  of  the 
arrival  of  a  reinforcement.     According  to  the  log  of 


1805]  The  ''Nelson  Touch."  267 

the  Victory,  she  joined  the  fleet  off  Cadiz  on  the 
evening  of  the  28th  of  September.  Though  there 
were  no  salutes  and  no  rejoicing  colours  flown,  Nel- 
son's reception  by  the  people  under  him  was  one  of 
such  demonstrative  enthusiasm  as  keenly  delighted 
him.  It  caused  him,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  the 
sweetest  sensation  of  my  life.  The  ofificers  who 
came  on  board  to  welcome  my  return  forgot  my 
rank  as  Commander-in-chief  in  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  they  greeted  me.  As  soon  as  these  emotions 
were  passed,  I  laid  before  them  the  plan  I  had 
previously  arranged  for  attacking  the  enemy  ;  and 
it  was  not  only  my  pleasure  to  find  it  generally 
approved,  but  clearly  perceived  and  understood." 
He  also  wrote  to  Lady  Hamilton  about  the  welcome 
he  received  from  Collingwood — his  old  friend  Coll 
— down  to  the  humblest  individual  in  the  ships. 
"  When,"  he  says,  "  I  came  to  explain  to  them  the 
'  Nelson  Touch,'  it  was  like  an  electric  shock.  Some 
shed  tears,  all  approved  —  'It  was  new  —  it  was 
singular — it  was  simple!'  and,  from  Admirals  down- 
wards it  was  repeated — '  It  must  succeed,  if  ever 
they  will  allow  us  to  get  at  them  !  You  are,  my 
Lord,  surrounded  by  friends  whom  you  inspire  with 
confidence.'  "  * 

The  force  under  him  consisted  of  twenty-seven  sail- 
of-the-line,  twenty-two  of  which  were  cruising  about 
fifteen  miles  off  Cadiz  ;  the  remaining  five,  under 
Rear-Admiral  Louis  in  the  Canopus,  were  stationed 
close  off  the  harbour,  where  they  watched  the 
motions    of    the    combined    forces.     Such    was    the 


*  "  Dispatches  and  Letters,"  vol.  vii.,  p.  60. 


268  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  47 

disposition  of  the  fleet  at  this  time.  But  Nelson's 
object  was  to  court  Villcneuve  and  Gravina  out  of 
their  nest  by  leading  them  to  suppose  his  force  much 
weaker  than  theirs.  He  therefore  withdrew  to  a 
distance  of  about  eighteen  leagues  west  of  Cadiz, 
leaving  the  task  of  watching  the  enemy  to  the  two 
frigates  Euryalus  and  Hydra,  between  which  and 
the  main  body  of  the  fleet,  out  of  sight  below  the 
horizon,  were  stationed  three  or  four  sail-of-the-line 
at  distances  which  enabled  them  to  transmit  the 
signals  made  by  the  inshore  frigates. 

On  the  1st  of  October  it  was  communicated  to 
Nelson  that  there  were  thirty-four  ships  of  the  line 
(eighteen  French  and  sixteen  Spanish),  with  four 
frigates  and  two  brigs,  lying  ready  for  sea  in  the 
outer  harbour  of  Cadiz.  Next  day  Blackwood  was 
able  to  send  word  that  there  had  been  a  great  deal 
of  bustle  and  movement  among  the  enemy  ;  that  all 
capable  of  serving  had  been  sent  on  board  the  ships, 
and  that  the  French  troops  which  had  landed  were 
re-embarked.  On  the  4th,  the  two  British  frigates 
were  attacked  by  some  Spanish  gun-boats  which 
came  sweeping  out  over  the  almost  breathless  water, 
but  they  made  haste  to  retire  after  a  few  useless 
shots  had  been  exchanged.  Blackwood's  duties 
were  extraordinarily  tedious,  exacting,  and  anxious, 
but  he  discharged  them  magnificently.  His  gaze  at 
the  enemy  was  of  a  lynx-eyed  steadfastness.  Every 
motion  was  perceived  and  reported.  "  I  rely  on 
you,"  wrote  Nelson  to  him  on  the  lOth,  "  that  we 
can't  miss  getting  hold  of  them,  and  I  will  give 
them  such  a  shaking  as  they  never  yet  experienced  ; 


1805]  Dr,  Beattys  Account.  269 

at  least,  I  will  lay  down  my  life  in  the  attempt." 
It  was  felt,  however,  that  the  combined  fleets  could 
not  much  longer  remain  in  port.  The  crews  of  so 
many  ships  made  a  huge  crowd  to  feed,  and  the 
stock  of  provisions  at  Cadiz  was  rapidly  failing. 
Buonaparte,  in  anticipation  of  some  such  a  heavy 
demand  as  this  upon  the  stores  of  the  place,  had 
ordered  shipments  to  be  made  at  Nantes,  Bordeaux, 
and  several  Biscayan  ports.  The  carriers  sailed  un- 
der Danish  colours,  and  landed  their  cargoes  at  little 
places  betwixt  Alge^iras  and  Santa-Maria,  whence 
they  were  uninterruptedly  conveyed  to  Cadiz.  This 
was  a  traffic  to  be  checked,  that  hunger  might  pro- 
vide the  French  and  Spanish  with  stomach  enough 
for  a  fight.  A  reinforcement  of  five  British  frigates 
rendered  blockading  easy  and  incessant,  and  the  con- 
veyance of  stores  to  Cadiz,  if  not  entirely  stopped, 
was  so  far  interrupted  as  to  yield  good  assurance  to 
Nelson  that  the  enemy  must  soon  show  himself.* 

Dr.,  afterwards  Sir  William,  Beatty,  who  was  sur- 
geon in  the  Victory,  has  a  good  deal  to  tell  about 
Nelson's  personal  habits  and  characteristics,  referable, 
in  the  main,  to  this  time  when  he  was  cruising  off 
Cape  Trafalgar.  He  seems  to  have  been  very  strong- 
ly persuaded  that  he  would  be  killed  if  there  was  a 
battle,  and  on  several  occasions  told  Captain  Hardy 
that  he  wished,  if  his  body  were  conveyed  to  Eng- 
land to  be  buried  at  the  public  expense,  to  lie  in 
St.    Paul's    Cathedral    rather   than    in    Westminster 


*  "  The  stoppage  of  these  supplies  by  the  extension  of  the  blockade 
left  the  combined  fleets  in  a  state  of  privation,  which  at  last  compelled 
them  to  put  to  sea." — "  Memoir  of  Collingwood,"  p.  iii. 


270  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  47 

Abbey.  He  had  a  somewhat  odd  reason  to  give  for 
this  choice  :  namely,  that  when  he  was  a  boy  he 
used  to  hear  it  .talked  of  as  an  old  tradition  that 
Westminster  Abbey  was  built  on  land  which  was 
once  a  deep  morass,  and  he  considered  it  very  likely 
that  the  soil,  in  the  course  of  ages,  would  again 
become  a  swamp,  into  which  the  Abbey  would  sink 
without  leaving  a  trace  behind  it.  Failing  a  public 
funeral,  it  was  his  wish  to  be  buried  by  the  side  of 
his  father  at  Burnham  Thorpe.  Beatty  tells  us  that 
Nelson  took  much  exercise,  generally  walking  the 
deck  for  six  or  seven  hours  in  the  day.  He  rose 
and  breakfasted  very  early,  and  when  on  deck,  if  a 
thought  suddenly  occurred  to  him,  he  would  at  once 
go  to  his  cabin  to  commit  it  to  paper  lest  his  mem- 
ory should  lose  it.  Dinner  on  board  the  Victoryvjz.s 
served  at  half-past  two,  and  the  company  consisted 
of  seldom  less  than  eight  or  nine  persons, — ofificers 
of  the  ship  ;  but  when  the  weather  permitted,  the 
admirals  and  captains  of  the  fleet  were  invited  by 
signal  to  join  the  party,  the  invitations  being  gov- 
erned by  rotation  of  seniority.  Beatty  found  Nelson 
as  a  host  as  affable,  courteous,  and  laughter-loving 
as  Colonel  Stewart  had  ;  attentive  to  every  one,  but 
a  sparing  eater  himself,  often  dining  off  a  fragment 
of  fowl  and  a  plate  of  macaroni.  His  drink  appears 
to  have  been  champagne,  but  he  never  exceeded 
four  glasses,  which  he  would  sometimes  dilute  with 
mineral  or  common  water.  Such  was  the  wonderful 
activity  of  his  mind  that  he  rarely  slept  uninter- 
ruptedly for  more  than  two  hours  at  a  time. 
Again  and  again  he  would  spring  from  his  cot  to 


1805]  Blackwood^ s  Enthusiasm.  271 

make  inquiries  and  learn  what  was  going  on  above 
him  and  around  in  the  fleet,  and  on  several  occa- 
sions he  would  mount  on  deck  a.nd  remain  there, 
pacing  it  the  whole  night  through.  Yet,  sufferer  as 
he  was  in  health,  he  was  at  no  pains  whatever  to 
cherish  himself ;  he  would  quit  his  cabin  on  a  wet 
night  with  only  a  thin  coat  on,  and  when  soaked 
through  and  through  he  would  refuse  to  allow  his 
clothes  to  be  changed,  asserting  that  the  leather 
waistcoat  which  he  wore  over  his  flannel  one  would 
protect  him  from  all  effects  of  damp.  He  objected 
to  boots,  and  was  repeatedly  getting  his  feet  wet. 
At  such  times  he  would  enter  his  cabin,  kick  his 
shoes  off,  and  walk  on  the  carpet  in  his  stockings  to 
dry  them.  This  he  did  rather  than  give  his  servants 
the  trouble  of  drawing  on  clean  stockings  ;  for  it 
must  be  remembered  that  Nelson  had  but  one  hand 
and  could  but  assist  himself  in  part  only. 

It  is  by  personal  descriptions  of  this  kind  that  one 
gets  to  see  and  know  the  man  as  he  showed  and  was 
known  to  those  who  beheld  him  in  the  flesh. 

The  combined  fleet  started  to  unmoor  at  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  Saturday,  the  19th  of 
October,  but  the  wind  was  weak  and  twelve  ships 
only  succeeded  in  floating  out  of  the  harbour  on 
that  day.  Blackwood,  watching  them  from  the  deck 
of  the  Euryalus,  can  yet  find  a  spare  five  minutes  to 
write  a  letter  to  his  wife.  "What  think  you,  my 
own  dearest  love?"  he  exclaims  with  a  sort  of  joy- 
ous enthusiasm  in  the  ring  of  the  sentences  he  scores 
down.  "At  this  moment  the  enemy  are  coming 
out,  and  as  if  determined  to  have  a  fair  fight ;  all 


272  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        i:>Et.  47 

night  they  have  been  making  signals,  and  the  morn- 
ing showed  them  to  us  getting  under  way.  .  .  .  You 
see  also,  my  Harriett,  I  have  time  to  write  to  you. 
...  It  is  very  odd  how  I  have  been  dreaming  all 
night  of  my  carrying  home  dispatches.  God  send  so 
much  good  luck ! "  *  It  was  signalled  that  the 
enemy  were  coming  out  of  port.  The  Victory  was  at 
that  time  with  the  main  body  of  the  fleet  some  fifty 
miles  W.S.W.  of  Cadiz  ;  the  wind  a  light  air,  and 
southerly.  Instantly  flew  a  signal  for  a  "  General 
Chase  S.E." — that  is,  towards  the  Strait  of  Gibral- 
tar, for  at  all  costs  the  enemy  must  be  hindered  from 
entering  the  Mediterranean. 

The  universal  impression  was  that  there  would  be 
a  battle  that  day,  and  Nelson,  entering  his  cabin, 
wrote  two  letters;  one  to  Lady  Hamilton,  and  the 
other  to  his  child  Horatia.  He  addresses  the  little  girl 
as  "  my  dearest  angel,"  tells  her  that  the  combined 
fleets  of  the  enemy  are  coming  out  of  Cadiz,  says  he 
is  sure  of  her  prayers  for  his  safety,  conquest,  and 
speedy  return,  and  bids  her  be  a  good  girl.  To  Lady 
Hamilton  he  writes :  "My  dearest  beloved  Emma, 
the  dear  friend  of  my  bosom.  The  signal  has  been 
made  that  the  enemy's  Combined  Fleet  are  coming 
out  of  Port.  We  have  very  little  wind,  so  that  I 
have   no  hopes  of   seeing  them   before   to-morrow. 

*  Blackwood  was  not  the  only  dreamer  in  that  fleet.  "  There  is  a 
thing,"  wrote  Lord  Collingwood  to  his  wife,  December  the  6th, 
1805,  "which  has  made  a  considerable  impression  upon  me.  A 
week  before  the  war,  at  Morpeth,  I  dreamt  distinctly  many  of  the 
circumstances  of  our  late  battle  off  the  enemy's  port,  and  I  believe  I 
told  you  of  it  at  the  time  :  but  I  never  dreamt  that  I  was  to  be  a  Peer 
of  the  Realm." — "  Collingwood's  Correspondence,"  p.  161. 


18051  Nelson  in   Chase.  273 


May  the  God  of  Battles  crown  my  endeavours  with 
success;  at  all  events,  I  will  take  care  that  my  name 
shall  ever  be  most  dear  to  you  and  Horatia,  both  of 
whom  I  love  as  much  as  my  own  life.  And  as  my 
last  writing  before  the  battle  will  be  to  you,  so  I 
hope  in  God  that  I  shall  live  to  finish  my  letter  after 
the  Battle.  May  Heaven  bless  you,  prays  your 
Nelson  and  Bronte." 

It  is  not  in  human  nature  to  repress  an  emotion 
of  bitterness  on  thinking  of  the  unworthiness  of  the 
recipient  of  these  noble,  touching,  beautiful  words. 
Deeply  could  one  have  wished  for  the  survival  into 
this  hour  of  the  eve  of  conflict  and  victory,  of  the 
afl'ection  that  had  been  his  before  the  battle  of  the 
Nile,  that  the  final  utterances  of  the  great  heart 
which  was  soon  to  cease  to  beat  should  have  been 
for  the  wife  of  his  choice,  for  his  early  love,  for  her 
and  her  only ! 

After  writing  these  letters  Nelson  went  on  deck, 
and  at  three  o'clock  the  Colossus  signalled  that  the 
enemy's  fleet  was  at  sea.  An  instance  of  the  Hero's 
prevision  here  occurs.  He  knew  that  the  hoops 
round  the  masts  of  the  enemy's  ships  Avere  painted 
black,  whereas  the  lower  masts  of  his  own  vessels 
were  painted  yellow,  excepting  only  those  of  the 
Belleisle  and  Polyphemus,  which  had  recently  joined. 
There  could  be  no  better  distinguishing  mark  amid 
the  smoke  and  confusion  of  battle  than  black  circles 
on  masts,  and  the  Belleisle  and  Polyphemus  were  at 
once  instructed  by  telegraph  to  paint  over  the  hoops, 
that  their  masts  might  be  of  a  uniform  colour  and  in 
correspondence  with  those  of  the  rest  of  the  British 


2  74  ^^  ^?/^  <3/^  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  47 

ships.*  A  light  breeze  sprang  up  in  the  evening, 
and  the  twelve  sail  of  the  enen:iy  bracing  up  stood 
away  to  the  northward,  with  the  two  British  frigates 
Euryaliis  and  Sirms  to  windward  of  them  following 
and  watching. 

The  20th  of  October  was  a  Sunday,  and  at  break 
of  day  that  morning  all  the  others  of  the  combined 
fleet  then  in  Cadiz  weighed  and  put  to  sea  with  a 
light  breeze  from  the  south-east,  and  by  three  P.M. 
the  whole  mass  of  shipping  had  united  and  formed 
in  five  columns.  Twenty-seven  sail-of-the-line,  dis- 
tinctively termed  the  Line  of  Battle,  were  sub- 
divided into  three  squadrons  of  seven  ships  each, 
the  centre  commanded  by  Villeneuve,  the  rear  by 
Dumanoir,  and  the  van  by  the  Spanish  Vice-Admiral 
Alava.  The  second  or  reserve  body  were  divided 
into  two  squadrons  of  six  ships  each,  the  first  under 
Gravina  and  the  second  under  Magon.  The  British 
were  out  of  sight,  having  approached  close  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar  ;  but  at  seven  in 
the  morning  the  PJioebe  signalled  the  enemy  as  bear- 
ing north,  and  by  noon  the  fleet  were  to  the  south- 
west of  Cadiz,  about  twenty-five  miles  distant  from  it. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  wind  headed  the  ships,  which 
at  four  o'clock  put  their  helms  up  and  came  round 
on  the  port  or  larboard  tack  with  their  heads  at 
about  north.  It  seemed  very  evident  that  the 
enemy's   emergence   was   a    half-hearted    affair,  and 


*  "  Painting  ship  h  la  Nelson  "  was  a  saying  among  the  officers  of 
the  fleet.  It  was  Nelson,  I  believe,  who  first  introduced  the  black 
ports  to  break  what  were  then  \\\q  yellow  bands  along  the  ship's  sides. 
At  what  period  white  took  the  place  of  yellow  I  do  not  know. 


1805]  Excellent  Arrangements.  275 

that  the  French  and  Spaniards  were  immovably 
fixed  in  their  resolution  to  keep  the  port  of  Cadiz 
close  aboard  ;  and  Nelson,  feverishly  anxious  to  get 
at  them  and  to  intercept  all  possibility  of  a  recoil 
on  their  part  from  his  "  Touch,"  telegraphed  to  the 
Euryalus  that  he  relied  upon  Blackwood  keeping 
sight  of  the  enemy  all  night.  So  excellent  was  his 
arrangement  of  night  signals,  and  so  thoroughly 
were  they  understood  by  his  captains,  that  through- 
out the  long  hours  of  darkness  the  movements  of 
the  combined  fleet  were  as  clearly  followed  on  board 
the  British  ships  as  though  they  had  been  inter- 
preted by  telescopes  in  the  daylight.  Twice  they 
wore  as  though  in  doubt,  and  Nelson's  apprehension, 
lest  they  should  effect  a  retreat  before  he  could 
bring  them  to  a  general  engagement,  caused  him  to 
hold  his  ships  well  aloof,  that  the  foe  should  not 
perceive  them  before  daybreak,  when  escape  might 
be  difficult,  if  not  impossible. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A    grand    picture — Nelson's    men — His 

dress  before  the  battle — His  prayer — 

Blackwood's  suggestion — The  famous 

signal  —  CoUingwood  —  The     Royal 

Sovereign — Anecdote  of  Rotheram — 

^,^        The  Victory  in  action — Overwhelming 

y      fire  —  Nelson  wounded  —  Scene  of  the 

cockpit — Nature  of  the  wound — Hardy — 

Tenderness  of   nature  in  last  moments — 

'  Anchor,  Hardy,  Anchor  ! " — Nelson's  death. 


EN  the  dawn  of  Monday,  the  2 1st 
October,  threw  out  the  dark  line 
of  sea  in  the  eastward,  the  Franco-Spanish  fleet  were 
to  be  seen  in  a  close  Hne  of  battle  on  the  starboard 
tack,  standing  to  the  southward.  The  sun  never  rose 
upon  a  grander  and  more  irnpressive  ocean-picture. 
As  the  courses  and  hulls  of  the  hindmost  of  the 
British  vessels  floated  up  the  sea-line  the  blue  girdle 
of  the  deep  became  a  field  of  ships  :  giant  structures 
bristling  with  guns,  canvas  swelling  in  clouds  to  the 
heavens  from  their  tall  black  sides  crowned  M'ith  grim 
and  formidable  defences,  crowds  of  sailors  motionless 
in  expectation,  quarter-decks  glittering  with  uniforms, 
sterns  sparkling  with  gilt  and  the  flash  of  great  cabin 
windows,  and  a  deep  stillness  everywhere,  broken  to 
the  ears  aboard  the  British  only  by  the  creaming 
wash  of  the  bow-surge,  shouldered  off  into  yeast  by 

276 


1805]  A  Grand  Picture.  277 

the  thrust  of  the  cut-water,  as  the  towering  Hners, 
brave  with  bunting,  rolled  majestically  onwards 
towards  the  concourse  of  giantesses  awaiting  them 
in  the  east.  The  horizon  there  seemed  filled  with 
the  white  spires  of  men-of-war.  Towering  amidst 
them  was  the  huge  fabric  of  the  Santissiina  Trinidad 
of  a  hundred  and  thirty  guns.  She  had  escaped  the 
British  grasp  at  St.  Vincent,  and  there  she  loomed 
again,  but  now  with  the  very  blackest  of  fates 
awaiting  her.  There,  too,  were  the  Principe  de  As- 
/urias  and  the  Santa  Ana,  vast  structures,  grinning 
with  the  teeth  of  a  hundred  and  twelve  guns  each, 
with  crosses  ready  to  dangle  at  their  spanker-boom 
ends,  and  priests  in  plenty  to  exhort,  to  confess,  and 
to  offer  the  saints  every  encouragement  of  candle, 
and  perhaps  of  dollars,  to  assist  in  the  fight  with 
those  Heretics  in  the  west,  whose  manner  of  ap- 
proach was  even  now  weakening  the  pulse  of  the 
gallant,  honourable  Villeneuve. 

Little  need  to  hold  an  Englishman  vain-glorious, 
for  supposing  that  there  could  have  been  no  lack 
of  misgiving  and  of  apprehension  amongst  those 
Frenchmen  and  Spaniards  as  Nelson's  fleet  came 
lifting  from  royals  to  courses,  and  from  courses  to 
the  water-line  into  the  open  morning  of  that  famous 
October  day.  The  approaching  Admiral  was  one 
whose  name  had  long  become  a  terror  to  the  ene- 
mies of  his  country.  His  captains  were  men  of 
splendid  record,  of  admirable  seamanship,  of  un- 
paralleled daring.  His  seamen  were  the  children  of 
a  nation  whose  ofTspring  were  the  finest  breed  of 
sailors  the  world  had  ever  produced.     There  were 


2  78  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         IKx.  47 

twenty-seven  liners,  three  of  one  hundred  guns, 
most  of  the  rest  of  them  of  seventy-four ;  they  were 
united  by  one  common  spirit  ;  they  were  combined 
under  one  flag ;  they  were  about  to  fight  for  one 
cause — a  great  and  a  good  cause — for  their  country 
and  against  tyranny,  oppression,  and  wrong !  They 
were  as  one  ship  and  as  one  crew  in  sympathy,  faith, 
enthusiasm,  and  resolution.  But  amongst  the  Dons, 
as  their  behaviour  after  defeat  proved,  there  was  no 
love  for  the  French  ;  and  amongst  the  French  there 
was  but  very  little  confidence  in  the  Dons.  No 
further  spirit  of  unanimity  was  to  be  found  amongst 
them"  than  such  as  the  law  of  self-defence  and  the 
desire  to  come  off  at  all  events  with  their  lives 
would  provide.  Who  can  wonder  that  Villeneuve's 
heart  sickened  in  him  when  he  sent  his  glance  from 
the  British  ships  to  the  hulking  craft  on  either  hand, 
rolling  under  the  ensigns  of  two  nationalities,  his  own 
vessels  filled  with  crews  whose  impiety  and  infidelity 
had  extinguished  in  the  devout  and  superstitious 
Spaniards  even  such  poor  sympathy  for  purposes  of 
battle  as  might  be  found  in  a  common  faith? 

Shortly  after  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the 
2ist,  Nelson  came  on  deck  dressed  in  his  Admiral's 
frock-coat,  on  the  left  breast  of  which  were  embroid- 
ered the  orders  he  was  privileged  to  wear.  He 
was  in  excellent  spirits,  had  been  so  indeed  through- 
out the  previous  day,  when,  so  it  is  recorded  of 
him,  being  on  the  poop  of  the  Victory,  where 
a  group  of  midshipmen  were  assembled,  he  ad- 
dressed them  with  a  smile  :  "  This  day  or  to-morrow 
will  be  a  fortunate  one  for  you,  young  men,"  refer- 


1805]  The  Twenty- First  of  October.  279 

ring  to  their  promotion.  Beatty  says  he  did  not 
wear  his  sword,  and  that  Trafalgar  was  the  only 
action  in  which  he  ever  appeared  without  one.  "  I 
will  not  be  contented  with  capturing  less  than 
twenty  sail-of-the-line,"  he  told  Hardy,  and  added, 
addressing  others,  that  "the  21st  of  October  was 
the  happiest  day  in  the  year  amongst  his  family," 
meaning  by  this  that  on  that  day  of  the  month,  in 
1757,  his  uncle.  Captain  Suckling,  was  attacked  by  an 
overwhelming  French  force,  and  gallantly  beat  it  ofT. 
Several  times  he  had  said  to  Hardy  and  his  chaplain, 
Scott,  that  "the  2rst  of  October  will  be  our  day." 
Almost  as  soon  as  he  had  left  his  cabin  a  signal  was 
made  on  board  the  Victory  for  the  captains  of  the 
frigates  to  come  on  board,  and  when  Blackwood 
arrived  Nelson's  remark  to  him  was,  "  I  mean  to 
bleed  the  captains  of  the  frigates,  so  I  shall  keep 
you  on  board  until  the  very  last  minute."  After 
the  signal  had  been  made  for  bearing  down  upon 
the  enemy  in  two  lines,  Nelson  mounted  the  poop, 
where  he  could  obtain  a  clear  view  of  his  fleet,  and 
while  there  gave  particular  directions  for  the  re- 
moval of  his  cabin  fixtures.  Amongst  the  furniture 
was  a  portrait  of  Lady  Hamilton.  "  Take  care  of 
my  guardian  angel,"  he  said  to  the  persons  em- 
ployed in  this  work. 

Shortly  after  this — at  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning — he  quitted  the  poop  to  withdraw  to  his 
cabin  for  a  few  minutes.  Whilst  he  was  below, 
Lieutenant  Pasco,  who,  though  senior  lieutenant, 
acted  as  signal-lieutenant  on  board  the  Victory, 
went  to  Nelson's  cabin  to  make  a  report,  and  also 


28o  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelsofi.         [^t.47 


to  prefer  a  complaint,  namely,  that  at  the  moment 
of  so  glorious  an  opportunity,  he,  despite  his  senior- 
ity, should  be  doing  duty  in  an  inferior  station.  On 
entering  the  cabin  the  Lieutenant  found  Nelson  on 
his  knees  writing.  This  is  what  he  was  composing 
at  that  moment:  "At  daylight  saw  the  Enemy's 
Combined  Fleet  from  East  to  E.  S.  E.;  bore  away; 
made  the  signal  for  Order  of  Sailing,  and  to  Prepare 
for  Battle,  the  Enemy  with  their  heads  to  the  South- 
ward, at  Seven  the  Enemy  wearing  in  succession. 
May  the  Great  God,  whom  I  worship,  grant  to  my 
country,  and  for  the  benefit  of  Europe  in  general,  a 
great  and  glorious  Victory ;  and  may  no  miscon- 
duct in  any  one  tarnish  it ;  and  humanity  after  Vic- 
tory be  the  predominant  feature  in  the  British  fleet. 
For  myself,  individually,  I  commit  my  life  to  him 
who  made  me,  and  may  His  blessing  light  upon  my 
endeavours  for  serving  my  Country  faithfully.  To 
Him  I  resign  myself,  and  the  just  cause  which  is 
entrusted  to  me  to  defend.  Amen.  Amen.  Amen." 
"  He  was  then  penning  that  beautiful  prayer,"  said 
Lieutenant,  afterwards  Captain,  Pasco.  "  I  waited 
until  he  rose  and  communicated  what  I  had  to  re- 
port, but  could  not  at  such  moment  disturb  his 
mind  with  any  grievances  of  mine."*  Either  before 
or  immediately  after  Pasco's  visit  Nelson  added  that 
famous  Codicil  to  his  will,  in  which,  after  stating  the 
services  he  truly  believed  that  Lady  Hamilton  had 
rendered  to  Great  Britain,  he  bequeathed  her  and 
Horatia  as  a  legacy  to  his  King  and  Country. 

His  anxiety  to  close  with  the  enemy  was  consum- 

*  Communicated  by  Captain  Pasco  to  Sir  W.  li.  Nicolas. 


t805]  Blackwood's  Suggestion.  281 

ing.  He  admired  in  the  combined  fleet  what  he 
termed  "  the  good  face  "  they  put  upon  it,  but  sev- 
eral times  exclaimed  :  "  I  '11  give  them  such  a  dress- 
ing as  they  never  had  before."  The  British  fleet 
were  now  heading  direct  for  the  foe.  The  breeze 
was  light,  a  long  Atlantic  swell  was  rolling  in,  and 
the  enemy's  line  was  somewhat  disordered  by  it, 
insomuch  that  instead  of  being  straight,  it  formed  a 
curve  or  crescent.  Their  ships  were  under  top-sails  and 
top-gallant-sails,  and  lay  with  the  weather  leeches 
"  lifting."  The  weak  wind  made  the  interval  between 
the  moment  of  sighting  and  the  moment  of  conflict 
long,  for  the  British  vessels,  even  with  studding-sails 
set,  were  scarcely  moving  at  three  knots  in  the  hour. 
As  the  two  forces  slowly  closed,  Captain  Blackwood, 
appreciating  the  value  of  such  a  life  as  Nelson's,  sug- 
gested that  he  should  go  aboard  the  Etiryalus,  where 
he  would  be  better  able  to  see  what  was  going 
forward.  Nelson  would  not  hear  of  it.  Blackwood 
then  suggested  that  one  or  two  ships  of  the  line 
should  go  ahead  of  the  Victory,  and  lead  her  into 
action,  that  the  enemy's  attention  might  in  some 
measure  be  withdrawn  from  the  flag-ship.  Nelson, 
smiling  significantly  as  he  looked  at  Hardy,  ex- 
claimed (referring  to  the  Tem&airc  that  was  then 
close  to  the  Victory),  "  Oh,  yes,  let  her  go  ahead." 
The  Tenieraire  was  thereupon  hailed  to  take  her 
station  in  advance  of  the  flag-ship.  At  that  moment 
the  lieutenant  who  commanded  upon  the  Victory's 
forecastle  observed  something  wrong  in  the  hoist  or 
set  of  the  lee-lower  studding-sail,  and  ordered  it 
to  be  hauled  in  that  it  might  be  hoisted  afresh. 


282  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [>Et.  47 

Nelson,  perceiving  this,  imagined  that  the  h'euten- 
ant's  intention  was  to  shorten  sail,  and  running  for- 
ward rated  him  severely  for  acting  without  orders. 
The  studding-sail  was  immediately  run  up  afresh, 
and  the  Victory,  as  Nelson  had  all  along  intended, 
continued  to  lead  the  column.* 

It  was  some  little  time  after  Nelson  had  come  up 
from  his  cabin,  where  he  had  been  writing  his  Prayer 
and  the  Codicil  to  his  Will  which  Blackwood  and 
Hardy  witnessed,  that  he  ordered  the  famous  Signal 
to  the  fleet  to  be  made.f  The  hour  by  the  Naiad's 
log  is  given  as  thirty-five  minutes  past  eleven.  The 
story  has  been  variously  told,  but  Pasco's  may  be 
accepted  as  the  truest.  He  was  on  the  poop  when 
Nelson  approached  him,  and  after  ordering  certain 
signals  to  be  flown,  the  Admiral  exclaimed  :  "  Mr. 
Pasco,  I  wish  to  say  to  the  Fleet,  England  CON- 
FIDES THAT  EVERY  MAN  WILL  DO  HIS  DUTY."  And 
he  added  :  "  You  must  be  quick,  for  I  have  one  more 
to  make,  which  is  for  close  action."  Lieutenant 
Pasco  replied  :  "  If  your  Lordship  will  permit  me  to 
substitute  the  expects  for  confides  the  signal  will 
soon  be  completed,  because  the  word  expects  is  in 
the  vocabulary,  and  confides  must  be  spelt."  Nelson 
hastily,  but  with  an  air  of  satisfaction,  said  :  "  That 


*This  is  given  on  tlie  autliority  of  James,  who  differs,  l)ut  not 
very  materially,  from  IJeatty's  and  Blackwood's  version  of  the 
incident. 

■j-The  Signal  was  by  Sir  Home  Popham's  Telegrajihic  Code,  and 
ran  thus  : 
Nos.  253         269        863       261      471      958    220    374    4    21    19  24. 

England  Expects  That    Every    Man    Will    Do    His    D    U    T    Y. 


1805]  Position  of  the  Two  Fleets.  283 

will  do,  Pasco,  make  it  directly."  "'^'  The  colours 
conveying  this  sentiment  were  hoisted,  and  Captain 
Blackwood  relates  that  the  shout  with  which  the 
memorable,  noble  signal  was  received  throughout  the 
fleet  when  its  signification  became  fully  known,  was 
truly  sublime.  "  Now,"  exclaimed  Nelson,  turning 
to  Blackwood,"  "  I  can  do  no  more.  We  must  trust 
to  the  great  Disposer  of  all  events,  and  the  justice 
of  our  cause.  I  thank  God  for  this  great  opportunity 
of  doing  my  duty." 

The  position  of  the  two  fleets  about  this  time  may 
be  thus  stated  :  the  enemy's  ships  were  lying-to  with 
their  heads  to  the  north  in  two  irregular  lines,  the  ves- 
sels being  mingled  without  regard  to  the  nationalities. 
The  British  ships  were  sailing  into  the  combined  fleet 
in  two  columns,  the  one  to  windward  led  by  Nelson 
in  the  Victory,  the  one  to  leeward  by  Collingvvood 
in  the  Royal  Sovereign.  Next  to  the  great  Admiral 
at  this  moment  Collingvvood  must  needs  be  the  most 
interesting  figure  in  the  fleet.  His  servant,  a  man 
named  Smith,  stated  that  he  entered  the  Admiral's 
cabin  at  about  daylight,  and  found  him  already  up 
and  dressing.  "  He  asked  if  I  had  seen  the  French 
fleet  ;  and  on  my  replying  that  I  had  not,  he  told 
me  to  look  out  at  them,  adding  that  in  a  very  short 
time  we  should  see  a  very  great  deal  more  of  them. 
I  then  observed  a  crowd  of  ships  to  leeward  ;  but 
I  could  not  help  looking  with  still  greater  interest  at 
the  Admiral,  who  during  all  this  time  was  shaving 


*  "  Letters  and  Dispatches,"  vol.  vii.,  p.  150.  James  says  that  the 
signal  first  ordered  by  Nelson,  was  "  Nelson  expects  every  man  to  do 
his  duty." — "  Naval  History,"  vol,  iii.,  p.  392, 


284  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  47 

himself  with  a  composure  that  quite  astonished  me." 
Collingwood  is  said  to  have  dressed  himself  that 
morning  with  peculiar  care.  On  meeting  Lieuten- 
ant Clavell  he  advised  him  to  pull  off  his  boots. 
"You  had  better,"  he  said,  "put  on  silk  stockings  as 
I  have  done  ;  for  if  one  should  get  a  shot  in  the  leg 
they  would  be  so  much  more  manageable  for  the  sur- 
geon." He  then  made  the  rounds  of  the  decks  to 
encourage  the  men  to  the  discharge  of  their  duty, 
and  addressing  his  officers,  said  to  them  :  "  Now,  gen- 
tlemen, let  us  do  something  to-day  which  the  world 
may  talk  of  hereafter."  Shortly  after  this  the  grand 
telegraphic  signal  to  the  fleet  was  flown  aboard  the 
Victory.  Collingwood,  not  knowing  at  first  what  it 
meant,  said,  after  glancing  at  it,  that  he  wished 
Nelson  would  make  no  more  signals,  for  they  all  un- 
derstood what  they  were  to  do.  But  on  the  signal 
being  interpreted  to  him,  he  expressed  the  highest 
delight  and  admiration  of  it,  and  desired  that  it 
should  instantly  be  made  known  to  the  ofificers  and 
ship's  company.* 

The  Royal  Sovereign  led  a  mile  in  advance  of  the 
rest  of  the  fleet,  owing  to  the  superior  nimbleness  of 
her  heels,  due  probably  to  her  copper  being  clean,  as 
she  had  but  lately  returned  from  England.  She  was 
in  consequence  the  first  to  get  into  action.  All  the 
men  were  ordered  to  lie  down  upon  the  decks  as  she 
swept  under  studding-sails  into  the  foe.  The  signal 
for  her  was  to  pass  through  the  enemy's  line  at  the 
twelfth  ship  from  the  rear ;  but  this  vessel  happened 
to  be  a  two-deck  ship,  whilst  the  one  ahead  was  a 

*  "  Collingwoocl's  CorrespoiKlence,"  124. 


180  5]  The  ' '  Royal  Sovereign  "  First  in  Action.  285 

first-rate  with  Admiral  Alava's  flag  flying  on  board, 
and  Collingwood  went  for  her.  The  Fougueux,  that 
was  astern  of  the  great  Spanish  Santa  Ana,  closed 
up  to  prevent  the  Royal  Sovereign  from  going  through 
the  Hne  ;  on  which  Collingwood  told  his  captain 
(Rotheram*)  to  steer  for  the  Frenchman  and  carry 
away  his  bowsprit.  To  escape  such  a  disaster  the 
Fougueux  backed  her  maintop-sail,  but  let  fly  some 
cannons  as  the  Royal  Sovereign  swept  past — the  first 
thunder  of  the  action  !  but  with  the  exception  of  a 
gun  or  two  to  conceal  his  ship  with  smoke,  Colling- 
wood held  the  batteries  of  the  Royal  Sovereign  silent 
until  she  had  ranged  abreast  of  the  stern  of  the 
Santa  Ana,  when  she  discharged  her  whole  broad- 
side of  double-shotted  guns  with  such  terrific  effect 
that  the  Don's  stern  was  beaten  in  and  four  hun- 
dred of  her  men  killed  and  wounded  !  At  the  same 
moment  she  sent  her  starboard  broadside,  similarly 
double-shotted,  into  the  Fougueux,  receiving  as  she 
did  so  the  whole  weight  of  the  Santa  Anas  metal, 
the  furious  storm  of  which  caused  the  English  battle- 
ship to  heel  two  streaks  out  of  the  water. 

Collingwood  was  at  least  twenty  minutes  in  action 
alone  before  another  English  ship  could  support  him. 
When  Nelson  saw  the  first  of  the  battle-smoke  rising 
from  the  contending  craft  he  is  said  to  have  struck 
his  hand  on  his  thigh  whilst  he  exclaimed :  "  Bravo  !  " 

*The  following  story  of  Rotheram  is  told  :  A  heavy  shower  of  mus- 
ketry nearly  swept  the  deck  of  the  Royal  Sovereign.  Some  of  the  offi- 
cers begged  Rotheram  not  to  expose  himself  so  recklessly  to  the  enemy's 
sharpshooters  by  wearing  a  gold-laced  hat  and  his  epaulets.  "  Let  me 
alone,"  answered  Rotheram,  "  I  have  always  fought  in  a  cocked  hat 
and  always  will  !  " 


286  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [4Et.  47 

three  times,  adding,  "  What  a  glorious  salute  the  Royal 
Sovereign  is  in  !  "  It  was  at  this  time  that  Colling- 
wood  said  to  his  captain  :  "  Rotheram,  what  would 
Nelson  give  to  be  here  ?  "  whilst  Nelson,  on  board 
the  Victory,  almost,  as  it  is  stated,  at  the  moment  of 
Collingwood's  utterance,  cried  :  "  See  how  that  noble 
fellow,  CoUingwood,  carries  his  ship  into  action  !  " 

Captain  Blackwood  remained  on  board  the  Victory 
till  a  shot  from  the  enemy  flew  over  her.  He  was 
then,  with  Captain  Prowse  of  the  Siriiis,  requested 
to  leave,  and  on  his  way  to  his  frigate  to  tell  all  the 
captains  of  line-of-battle  ships  that  Nelson  depended 
on  their  exertions.  "  He  then  again  desired  me  to  go 
away,"  says  Blackwood ;  "  and  as  we  were  standing 
on  the  front  of  the  poop  I  took  his  hand  and  said  : 
'  I  trust,  my  Lord,  that  on  my  return  to  the  Victory, 
which  will  be  as  soon  as  possible,  I  shall  find  your 
Lordship  well  and  in  possession  of  twenty  prizes  '  ; 
on  which  he  made  this  reply :  '  God  bless  you, 
Blackwood,  I  shall  never  speak  to  you  again.'  " 

With  ensigns  and  jacks  distributed  about  her 
rigging,  and  with  the  signal  "  Engage  tJie  enemy  more 
closely,''  flying  at  her  fore-royalmast-head, — two  flags 
quarter  red  and  white  over  white  with  the  blue 
cross,  signifying  number  i6, — the  Victory,  with  stud- 
ding-sails out  on  either  side  at  the  fore,  slowly 
floated  down  upon  the  enemy,  whose  ensigns  were 
now  hoisted,  whilst  by  this  time  at  the  spanker 
boom  end  of  every  Spanish  ship  there  was  dangling 
a  great  wooden  cross.  Nelson  seemed  to  be  heading 
direct  for  that  huge  four-decker,  the  Santissima  Trini- 
dad, but  not  with  the  intention  of  attacking  her.     A 


1805]       The  "  Victory  "  under  Heavy  Fire.       287 

Spanish  Rear-Admiral  was  a  comparatively  insignifi- 
cant object,  to  be  dealt  with  leisurely  and  by-and-bye, 
whilst  there  wasa  French  Vice-Admiral  in  command 
to  be  got  at.  Yet  where  Villeneuve  was  could  not  be 
ascertained  ;  the  four-decker's  flag  at  the  mizzen  was 
visible  enough,  but  there  was  no  French  flag  at  the 
fore ;  nevertheless  Nelson  was  persuaded  that  the 
French  Admiral  was  in  one  of  two  or  three  ships 
which  lay  astern  of  the  Santissivia  Trinidad,  and  for 
this  reason  he  steered  straight  for  that  immense 
bristling  castle. 

The  first  shot  that  was  aimed  at  the  Victory  came 
from  the  Biiccntanre  ;  the  ball  fell  short.  There  was  a 
pause  ;  then  followed  a  second  shot,  and  the  leap  of 
the  white  water  as  the  cannon-ball  struck  the  sea 
was  this  time  close  alongside  the  British  flag-ship. 
The  range  was  again  tried  by  a  third  shot,  which 
flew  over  the  ship,  and  then  it  was  that  Blackwood 
and  Prowse  bade  Nelson  farewell.  There  was  a 
fourth  and  then  a  fifth  shot,  and  a  rent  in  the  Vic- 
tory s  main-topgallant-sail  was  perceptible.  The 
enemy  now  knew  that  the  British  ship  was  within 
reach  of  his  guns.  Yet  another  minute  or  two  of 
silence,  breathless  and  terrible !  then  to  a  signal 
from  the  French  Admiral  the  whole  artillery  of  the 
enemy's  van,  formed  at  least  of  seven  or  eight  of  the 
weathermost  ships,  opened  upon  the  Victory.  Never 
perhaps  before  in  all  maritime  warfare  had  so  tre- 
mendous a  fire  been  directed  at  a  single  ship.  John 
Scott,  Nelson's  public  secretary,  fell  dead,  killed  by 
a  round  shot  whilst  he  was  conversing  with  Captain 
Hardy.     The  furious  cannonading  utterly  stagnated 


288  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso?t.        [>Ct.  47 

what  little  air  remained ;  there  seemed  not  a  breath 
to  cool  the  moistened  finger;  but  the  FzV/tJrj/,  having 
yet  some  way  upon  her  and  floated  forward  also  by 
the  swell,  drove  toward  the  space  of  open  water 
betwixt  the  Santissima  Trinidad  dind  the  Bucentaure, 
whose  colossal  sides  continued  to  leap  in  sheets  of 
flame  at  her  as  she  approached  ;  whilst  a  little  astern 
of  the  Bucentaure  lay  the  Redoutabie,  incessantly 
pouring  a  heavy  and  destructive  fire  into  Nelson's 
ship. 

For  some  minutes  the  Victory  was  unable  to  make 
any  reply.  She  was  within  five  hundred  yards  of 
the  port  or  larboard  beam  of  the  Bucentaure  when 
her  mizzen-topmast  went  over  the  side,  shot  away 
about  a  third  of  its  length  from  under  the  cross- 
trees.  In  another  minute  the  wheel  was  knocked  to 
pieces.  The  ship  was  then  steered  in  the  gun-room. 
A  few  seconds  later  a  double-headed  shot  killed 
eight  marines  on  the  poop,  and  the  captain  of  ma- 
rines was  requested  by  Nelson  to  distribute  his  men 
about  the  ship  that  they  might  not  suffer  by  being 
closely  grouped.  The  Hero's  own  indifference  to 
personal  risk  was  illustrated  much  about  this  time 
by  his  refusal  to  suffer  the  hammocks,  which  served 
as  barriers  against  the  enemy's  grape  and  musketry, 
to  be  raised  an  inch  higher  than  it  was  customary  to 
stow  them,  that  they  might  not  hinder  him  from 
having  a  clear  view  of  the  scene  of  battle.  As  he  and 
Hardy  paced  the  deck  together  a  splinter  struck  the 
Captain's  foot  and  tore  the  buckle  from  his  shoe. 
They  both  halted  and  anxiously  ran  their  eyes  over 
each   other,  one    supposing    the    other    to   be  hurt. 


1805]  On  Board  the  "  Victory !'  289 

"  This  is  too  warm  work,  Hardy,  to  last  long,"  said 
Nelson  with  a  smile,  adding  that,  often  as  he  had 
been  engaged  in  conflict,  he  never  remembered  the 
like  of  the  coolness  and  courage  which  the  men  of 
the  Victory  were  showing.  The  Buccntcmre  slowly 
forged  ahead,  disclosing  a  large  French  ship  on  her 
lee-quarter,  with  another  ship  yet,  looming  amid  the 
fog  of  white  powder-smoke,  reaching  in  with  the 
intention  of  closing  the  space  over  the  Victory's  bow. 
Hardy  represented  that  it  was  impossible  to  pass 
through  the  enemy's  line  without  running  aboard 
one  of  those  ships  which  were  coming  together 
ahead  of  her  in  a  huddle.  "  I  cannot  help  it,"  ex- 
claimed Nelson  ;  "  it  does  not  signify  which  we  run 
on  board  of.  Go  on  board  which  you  please  ;  take 
your  choice." 

At  this  time  the  loss  in  the  Victory  amounted  to 
twenty  killed,  and  there  were  thirty  wounded  be- 
sides ;  her  studding-sail  booms  had  been  shot  off  at 
the  yard-arms  ;  every  sail  was  like  a  grating,  and  her 
brand  new  fore-course  gaped  in  an  enormous  rent.* 
But  it  was  now  the  grand  old  ship's  turn.  All  had 
been  quiet  on  board  of  her  saving  the  accidental 
explosion  of  a  forward  gun.  But  at  this  hour — 
about  half-past  twelve,  though  the  exact  time  is  of 
course  disputed, — she  discharged  at  the  Bticentanrc 
a  sixty-eight-pounder  carronade,  loaded  with  a  round 
shot  and  a  keg  filled  with  five  hundred  musket-balls. 
The  dose  was  slapped  right   into  the  Frenchman's 

*  James  calls  it  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  yards,  but  a  length  of 
three  hundred  feet,   either  athwartships  or  up  and  down,  is  impossi- 
ble, and  the  statement  must  therefore  be  a  misprint. 
19 


ago  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [^t.  47 

cabin  windows ;  and  then,  as  the  Victory  slowly 
forged  ahead,  the  remaining  guns  of  the  broadside, 
all  of  them  double-  and  some  of  them  treble- 
shotted,  were  deliberately  fired,  one  after  another. 
The  men  serving  the  guns  in  the  Victory  were 
nearly  suffocated  by  the  black  clouds  of  smoke 
rthich  entered  the  port-holes,  and  Nelson  and  all 
others  then  on  the  quarter-deck  were  begrimed  by 
the  dust  of  the  crumbled  woodwork  of  the  Biicen- 
taiires  stern.  This  furious  raking  of  the  Frenchman 
was  only  a  little  less  destructive  to  him  than  had 
been  the  Royal  Sovereigns  broadside  to  the  Santa 
Ana.  Twenty  of  the  Buccntaurc  s  guns  were  dis- 
mounted by  it,  and  her  officers  afterward  said  that 
the  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  reached  nearly  to 
four  hundred  men. 

The  French  ship  Ncptnne,  that  had  been  valiantly 
supporting  the  Buccntaurc,  fearing  to  be  run  aboard 
of  by  the  Victory,  hoisted  her  jib  and  shifted  her 
helm  to  forge  ahead.  Captain  Hardy,  who  had  de- 
cided to  run  aboard  the  ship  that  was  to  starboard, 
ported  his  helm  and  drove  towards  the  Redontable, 
whose  men,  having  discharged  a  broadside,  promptly 
closed  their  lower-deck  ports  and  fired  from  them  no 
more. 

Beatty  and,  after  him,  Southey  say  that,  be- 
cause there  was  danger  that  the  Redontable  might 
take  fire  from  the  Victory's  guns,  whose  muzzles, 
when  the  pieces  were  run  out,  touched  her  sides,  the 
fireman  of  each  gun  stood  ready  with  a  bucket  of 
water  to  slap  into  the  hole  after  the  shot  had  been 
fired.     James,  however,  convincingly  disproves  this 


1805]  Receives  his  Death- Wound.  291 

by  exhibiting  the  situation  of  the  combatants;  nor, 
indeed,  even  if  it  were  a  practicable,  is  it  at  all  a  very 
credible,  manoeuvre. 

When  the  Victory  had  been  fitted  to  receive  Nel- 
son's flag,  a  large  skylight  over  the  Admiral's  cabin 
was  removed,  and  planks  let  into  the  space  so  as 
to  enable  him  to  walk  amidships  clear  of  the  guns 
and  gear.  The  length  of  this  walk  was  about  twenty- 
one  feet,  the  stanchion  of  the  wheel  ending  it  aft, 
and  the  coverings  of  the  hatch  which  led  to  the 
cabin  bounding  it  forward. 

Nelson  was  pacing  this  promenade  with  Captain 
Hardy  somewhere  about  half-past  one  o'clock,  and 
having  arrived  at  the  cabin  hatch,  suddenly  faced 
left  about.  Hardy,  who  had  taken  the  further  and 
final  step,  rounded  to  re-measure  this  pendulum 
walk.  As  he  did  so  he  observed  Nelson  in  the  act 
of  falling.  Before  he  could  spring  forward,  the 
Hero  had  dropped  with  his  face  on  the  deck.  The 
spot  was  exactly  where  his  secretary  Scott  had  been 
killed,  and  the  blood  of  the  poor  fellow,  yet  fresh, 
stained  Nelson's  clothes.  "  They  have  done  for  me 
at  last,  Hardy,"  Nelson  exclaimed.  "  I  hope  not," 
answered  the  Captain.  "  Yes,"  said  Nelson,  "  my 
backbone  is  shot  through."  He  was  lifted  and 
carried  below  to  the  cockpit.  On  the  way,  with  his 
one  hand  he  drew  his  handkerchief  over  his  face, 
that  his  sailors  might  not  know  who  it  was  that  was 
being  conveyed  below.  Already  the  scene  of  the 
cockpit  was  that  of  a  shambles.  The  gloomy  depths 
were  dimly  illuminated  by  the  feeble  light  of  smok- 
ing oil  flames,  and  all  about  lay  the  dead  and  the 


292  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         L^t.  47 

dying,  forms  motionless  or  writhing  in  anguish.  The 
atmosphere  was  insufferable  with  nauseating  smells  ; 
and  the  dusky  cavern  resounded  with  the  groans 
of  suffering  and  with  the  volcanic-like  notes  of  the 
artillery  thundering  above.  The  surgeon,  Dr.  Beat- 
ty,  was  bending  over  the  forms  of  two  officers — 
already  corpses — when  he  heard  several  of  the 
wounded  calling  to  him  :  "  Mr.  Beatty,  Lord  Nel- 
son is  here.  Mr.  Beatty,  the  Admiral  is  wounded." 
He  instantly  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and 
as  he  did  so  the  handkerchief  fell  from  Nelson's  face 
and  the  decorations  on  his  coat  appeared.  Beatty 
and  the  purser,  Mr.  Burke,  ran  hastily  to  assist,  and 
received  the  dying  Hero  from  the  arms  of  the  men 
who  had  brought  him  below.  Nelson  feebly  asked 
whose  were  the  arms  which  supported  him,  and,  on 
being  answered,  he  exclaimed:  "Ah,  Mr.  Beatty, 
you  can  do  nothing  for  me ;  I  have  but  a  short  time 
to  live  ;  my  back  is  shot  through." 

The  Reverend  Dr.  Scott,  the  chaplain,  had  been 
some  little  while  earlier  ministering  to  the  wounded 
in  various  parts  of  the  cockpit.  Moment  after  mo- 
ment men  horribly  mutilated,  screaming  in  their 
anguish,  or  expiring  with  a  groan  even  as  they  were 
handed  down  the  hatch,  were  arriving,  and  Scott 
was  half  maddened  by  the  horrible  scene.  He 
persevered,  however,  until  a  fine  young  fellow,  a 
lieutenant,  was  brought  down  desperately  wounded. 
How  bad  his  hurt  was,  the  poor  young  officer  did 
not  apparently  know  until  the  surgeon  had  ex- 
amined it ;  when,  \\aiting  until  Bcatty's  back  was 
turned,    he    tore    off    with    his    own   hand    the   liga- 


1805]        Surgeon  Beattys  Fears  Realized.       293 

tures  which  had  been  apph'ed,  and  bled  to  death  ! 
Scott,  almost  frenzied  by  the  sight,  fled  to  the  deck 
for  relief.  He  rushed  to  the  companion-ladder, — 
the  steps  were  slippery  with  blood, — all  was  con- 
fusion, cries,  the  roar  of  ordnance,  an  endless 
storming-  noise  of  crashing  timber  and  of  splitting 
spar.  Then  it  was  that  he  heard  Nelson  had  fallen, 
and  instantly  hastened  to  his  side,  wringing  his 
hands  with  grief  as  he  turned  to  the  surgeon  to  say: 
"  Alas,  Beatty,  how  prophetic  you  were  !  "  referring 
to  the  fear  that  had  been  expressed  lest  Nelson's 
decorations  should  unnecessarily  expose  him  on  deck 
to  the  French  sharpshooters.  That  same  coat,  which 
was  claimed  as  the  cause  of  the  Hero's  death,  when 
removed  from  him,  was  hastily  rolled  up  to  serve  as 
a  pillow  for  Lieutenant  Westphal,  whose  wound  was 
bleeding  freely  ;  and  when  the  battle  was  over,  and 
an  attempt  was  made  to  remove  the  coat,  several  of 
the  bullions  of  the  epaulets  were  found  to  be  so 
firmly  glued  into  the  Lieutenant's  hair  by  the  coagu- 
lated blood  from  his  wound,  that  four  or  five  of 
them  were  cut  off  and  left  in  his  hair,  one  of  which 
he  afterwards  told  Sir  Harry  Nicolas — in  1844" — 
he  still   possessed. 

Nelson  was  laid  upon  a  bed,  and,  his  clothes 
being  removed,  he  was  covered  with  a  sheet.  Whilst 
this  was  being  done  he  said  to  Scott  in  a  hurried, 
agitated  manner  :  "  Doctor,  I  told  you  so.  Doctor,  I 
am  gone."  Adding  a  little  later  in  a  subdued  voice  : 
"  Remember  me  to  Lady  Hamilton  !  Remember 
me  to   Horatia!     Remember  me  to  all  my  friends/ 

*  He  was  then  Captain  Sir  George  Westphal. 


294  ^^^  Zz/"^  of  Horatio  Nelson.  [^t.47 

Doctor,  remember  me  to  Mr.  Rose  ;  tell  him  I  have 
made  a  will,  and  left  Lady  Hamilton  and  Iloratiato 
my  country."*  The  wound  was  probed,  and  the 
surgeon  was  of  opinion  that  the  ball  had  lodged  in 
the  spine.  "  Yes,"  exclaimed  Nelson,"!  am  confi- 
dent that  my  back  is  shot  through  "  ;  and  on  being 
asked  to  express  his  sensations,  he  said  that  he  felt  a 
rush  of  blood  every  minute  within  his  breast ;  that 
he  had  no  feeling  in  the  lower  part  of  his  body,  and 
that  his  breathing  was  dif^cult,  with  keen  pain 
about  that  part  of  the  spine  where  he  had  been  hit. 
These  were  symptoms  which  persuaded  Beatty  that 
the  case  was  hopeless,  but  the  deadly  character  of 
the  wound  was  kept  secret  from  all,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Hardy,  Scott,  and  one  or  two  others,  until 
the  victory  over  the  combined  fleet  was  assured  and 
declared. 

Meanwhile,  without,  the  battle  was  furiously  raging. 
Such  was  the  destructive  effect  of  the  Redoutable  s 
fire  that  most  of  the  effective  men  left  upon  the 
Victory  s  upper  deck  were  employed  in  carrying 
their  wounded  shipmates  to  the  cockpit.  Indeed  the 
only  occupants  of  the  flagship's  quarter-deck  at  that 
time  were  Captain  Hardy,  Captain  Adair,  of  the 
marines,  and  one  or  two  other  officers.  The  sharp- 
shooters in  the  Redoutable  s  mizzen-top — whence 
had  come  the  shot  that  had  struck  Nelson — hailed 
their  officers  below  and  communicated  the  seemingly 
deserted  condition  of  the  Victory,  upon  which  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  board  ;  but  whilst  the  Frenchmen 
were  scrambling  into  the  chains  and  along  the  gang- 

*  From  Dr.  Scott's  own  account. 


1805]  Anxiety  for  Hardy.  295 

way  of  their  ship  there  was  a  rush  of  men  from  the 
Victory  s  lower  decks,  and  the  assault  was  magnifi- 
cently repulsed — but  at  a  desperate  cost  to  the 
English  ;  for  in  this  affair  alone  Captain  Adair  and 
eighteen  men  were  killed,  Lieutenant  Ram  and  one 
midshipman  mortally  wounded,  and  twenty  men 
seriously  hurt.  Soon  afterwards  hostilities  aboard 
the  Redoiitable  ceased  ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that 
she  was  immediately  taken  possession  of. 

Down  in  the  cockpit  could  be  clearly  heard  the 
cheers  given  by  the  Victory  s  crew  whenever  they 
saw  that  their  own  shot  told  heavily,  or  whenever 
they  observed  an  enemy's  ship  surrender.  Once 
Nelson  asked  the  meaning  of  the  huzzas,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Pasco,  who  lay  wounded  near  him,  answered 
that  another  ship  had  struck.  Nelson  smiled  ;  but 
he  was  now  suffering  from  thirst,  and  repeatedly 
called  for  drink  and  to  be  fanned  with  paper,  crying 
"  Fan,  fan  ;  drink,  drink  !  "  They  gave  him  lemon- 
ade and  wine  and  water.  His  utterances  proved  that 
he  could  think  of  little  more  that  the  event  of  the 
battle,  and  the  safety  of  his  friend,  Captain  Hardy, 
whom  he  loved,  and  for  whose  life  he  was  fearing. 
He  was  told  that  the  enemy  were  decisively  defeated, 
and  hope  was  expressed  that  he  would  live  to  be 
himself  the  bearer  of  the  grand  tidings  to  his  country. 
"  It  is  all  over;  it  is  all  over!  "  was  his  reply.  His 
anxiety  to  see  Hardy  was  very  great.  "  Will  no  one 
bring  Hardy  to  me?  "  he  continued  to  exclaim  ;  "  he 
must  be  killed  ;  he  is  surely  destroyed  !  "  After  a 
little  the  aide-de-camp  came  below  to  report  that  the 
situation  of  the  fleet  rendered  it  impossible  for  Cap- 


296  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        [^t.  47 


tain  Hardy  to  leave  the  deck  ;  but  that  he  would 
descend  the  instant  a  chance  offered.  "  Who  is 
that  ?  "  asked  Nelson.  The  purser  answered  :  "  It  is 
Mr.  Bulkeley,  my  Lord."  "  It  is  his  voice,"  ex- 
claimed Nelson,  and  then,  without  turning  his  head, 
he  said  to  Bulkeley :  "  Remember  me  to  your 
father," 

All  that  was  beautiful  in  him  of  goodness,  of  gen- 
tleness, of  thoughtfulness,  of  tenderness  ;  all  that 
was  noble  in  him  of  greatness  of  soul,  of  magnanim- 
ity of  mind,  of  devotion  to  the  country  that  he  had 
been  stricken  to  death  in  serving,  showed  with  an 
incomparable  sweetness  and  shone  with  a  particular 
splendour  in  these,  his  last  hours.  A  wounded  sea- 
man lay  near  waiting  for  the  surgeon  to  amputate  a 
limb  ;  he  was  struck,  perhaps  hurt,  by  some  one 
passing;  weak  as  he  was,  scarcely  able  to  articulate, 
indeed,  yet  Nelson  indignantly  turned  his  head  and 
reprimanded  the  man  for  his  carelessness  or  his  in- 
humanity. Still  was  the  great  battle  without  being 
furiously  fought.  The  Victory  was  almost  wrecked 
aloft;  her  rigging  was  cut  to  pieces;  a  score  of 
details  of  the  grand  old  fabric  were  shot  away ;  her 
decks  were  running  with  blood  ;  but  she  still  main- 
tained her  terrible  play  of  artillery.  When  she 
opened  her  larboard  guns  on  Dumanoir's  squadron, 
the  concussion  of  the  firing  so  affected  Nelson  that, 
apostrophising  his  ship,  he  called  out :  "  Oh,  Victory, 
Victory,  how  you  distract  my  poor  brain!"  then 
added,  after  a  pause  :  "  How  dear  is  life  to  all  men  !  " 
He  had  been  lying  in  the  cockpit  an  hour  and  ten 
minutes  before  Hardy  came  to  him.     They  shook 


t805]  Last  Moments.  297 


hands  affectionately,  and  Nelson  said  :  "  Well,  Hardy, 
how  goes  the  battle? — how  goes  the  day  with  us?  " 
"  Very  well,  my  Lord.  We  have  got  twelve  or 
fourteen  of  the  enemy's  ships  in  our  possession." 
"  I  hope,"  said  Nelson,  "that  none  of  our  ships  have 
struck.  Hardy?"  "  No,  my  Lord,"  replied  Hardy, 
"there  is  no  fear  of  that."  Nelson  then  said:  "I 
am  a  dead  man,  Hardy.  I  am  going  fast ;  it  will 
be  all  over  with  me  soon.  Come  nearer  to  me.  Pray 
let  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton  have  my  hair,  and  all 
other  things  belonging  to  me." 

Hardy  soon  after  this  returned  on  deck.  Beatty 
anxiously  hung  about  the  dying  Hero,  who  begged 
him  to  attend  to  the  wounded,  "  for,"  said  he, 
"  you  can  do  nothing  for  me."  The  surgeon  as- 
sured him  that  his  assistants  were  doing  all  that 
was  possible,  but  Nelson  insisted,  and  Beatty  with- 
drew. Shortly  afterwards,  however,  he  was  summoned 
afresh,  and  after  learning  the  symptoms  that  Nelson 
himself  described,  and  being  urged  to  speak  the 
truth,  he  exclaimed :  "  My  Lord,  unhappily  for  our 
country,  nothing  can  be  done  for  you,"  and,  having 
said  this,  as  he  himself  tells  us,  he  turned  round  and 
walked  a  few  paces  away  to  conceal  his  grief.  From 
time  to  time  Nelson  would  exclaim:  "God  be 
praised,  I  have  done  my  duty!  "  Once  so  exquisite 
was  his  pain,  he  said  he  wished  he  was  dead,  "  yet," 
he  added,  in  a  voice  a  little  above  a  whisper,  "  one 
would  like  to  live  a  little  longer  too." 

Captain  Hardy  came  again  after  an  interval  of 
about  fifty  minutes.  A  second  time  they  pressed 
each  other's  hand.  The  Captain  was  unable  to  report 


298  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         t^t.  47 

how  many  ships  were  captured,  but  he  had  no  doubt 
they  amounted  to  fourteen  or  fifteen  sail.  Nelson  ex- 
claimed :  "  That  is  well,  but  I  bargained  for  twenty  "  ; 
and  with  emphasis  said  :  "  Anchor,  Hardy,  anchor !  " 
The  Captain  replied  :  "  I  suppose,  my  Lord,  Admiral 
Collingwood  will  now  take  upon  himself  the  direc- 
tion of  affairs?  " — "  Not  while  I  live,  I  hope.  Hardy," 
cried  Nelson,  struggling,  but  ineffectually,  to  raise 
himself  ;  "  No  !  Do  yoii  anchor.  Hardy." — "  Shall 
we  make  the  signal,  sir?  "asked  Hardy.  "Yes," 
answered  Nelson,  "  for  if  I  live  I  '11  anchor."  A 
little  later  on  he  said  he  felt  that  in  a  few  minutes 
he  should  be  no  more,  and  in  a  low  voice  exclaimed, 
"  Don't  throw  me  overboard.  Hardy." — "  Oh,  no, 
certainly  not,"  the  Captain  answered.  "  Then," 
said  Nelson,  "  you  know  what  to  do.  Take  care  of 
my  dear  Lady  Hamilton,  Hardy  :  take  care  of  poor 
Lady  Hamilton.  Kiss  me.  Hardy."  The  Captain 
knelt  and  pressed  his  lips  to  his  cheek.  "  Now  I  am 
satisfied,"  said  Nelson,  "thank  God,  I  have  done  my 
duty."  Hardy  stood  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  him, 
silent  in  contemplation  ;  then,  kneeling,  again  kissed 
his  beloved  chief's  forehead.  Nelson  said,  "  Who  is 
that?"  The  Captain  answered,  "It  is  Hardy," — 
"  God  bless  you,  Hardy,"  said  Nelson.  The  Captain 
then  went  on  deck.  Nelson  became  speechless  a 
little  before  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Almost 
the  last  words  he  said  to  his  chaplain,  Scott,  were, 
"  Doctor,  I  have  not  been  a  great  sinner,"  and 
his  latest  utterance  was,  "  Thank  God,  I  have 
done  my  duty."  For  a  long  while  Dr.  Scott  and 
Mr.    Burke    had    been    supporting    the    bed    under 


SIR    THOMAS  MASTERMAN    HARDY,    Bart.,   G.C.B. 

FROM    THE    PAINTING    B»    n.    FVANS. 


1805] 


Death. 


299 


his  shoulders  that  he  might  obtain  some  little  ease 
from  a  semi-recumbent  posture.  It  is  recorded  in  the 
memoirs  of  Dr.  Scott  that  Nelson,  "  passed  so 
quietly  out  of  life  that  Scott,  who  had  been  oc- 
cupied ever  since  he  was  brought  below  in  all  the 
offices  of  the  most  tender  nurse,  was  still  rubbing 
his  stomach  when  the  surgeon  perceived  that 
all  was  over."  Beatty  knelt  by  the  Hero's  side 
and  took  his  hand  ;  it  was  ice-cold,  and  the  wrist 
pulseless.  He  felt  his  forehead,  and  Nelson  opened 
his  eyes  but  closed  them  instantly.  Beatty  with- 
drew to  attend  to  the  wounded,  but  had  not  been 
absent  five  minutes  when  he  was  told  that  Nelson 
was  dead.     He  returned  and  found  that  it  was  so. 


NELSON'S  WATCH   AND  SEAL   WORN   AT   TRAFALGAR. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

After  tlie  battle — Cape  Trafalgar — Anecdote  of  the 
Achille — Fate  of  the  Santissima  Trinidad — Fate 
of  the  Redotitabk — Effects  of  the  battle — Ney  on 
the  invasion  of  England — Nelson's  remains — 
Arrival  at  Spithead — Appearance  of  the  body — 
National  mourning — St.  Vincent's  grief — Hon- 
ours to  Nelson's  family — Lady  Hamilton's  claims 
— Her  death — Nelson's  funeral — Conclusion. 


LMOST  at  the  time  when  Nelson  died 
the  last  of  the  guns  had  been  fired 
and  the  silence  of  the  cock-pit  was  disturbed  only 
by  the  moans  of  the  wounded.  The  cannonading 
had  ceased  ;  a  hush  had  fallen  upon  the  floating 
armaments.  The  greatest  sea  victory  that  the 
world  had  ever  known  was  won  ;  but  at  such  a 
cost  that  there  was  no  man  throughout  the  British 
fleet — there  was  no  man,  indeed,  in  all  England — 
but  would  have  welcomed  defeat  sooner  than  have 
paid  the  price  of  this  wonderful  conquest.  The 
scene  of  havoc  was  one  of  terrible  sublimity  on 
that  October  afternoon  whilst  the  Victor  lay  below, 
motionless  in  death.  In  all  directions  mutilated 
ships  lifted  their  sides,  like  castles  upon  the  water — 
many  of  them  with  their  masts  gone,  their  bulwarks 

300 


1805-6]  After  the  Battle.  301 

trailing  long  serpentine  lengths  of  severed  rigging, 
the  British  colours  flying  upon  stumps  and  staffs, 
scupper-holes  gushing  water  tinged  with  red,  masses 
of  wreckage,  seared,  withered,  blackened  as  by  the 
electric  bolt,  lifting  and  falling  upon  the  Atlantic 
swell.  Eastwards  a  long,  fog-coloured  body  of  pow- 
der smoke  was  settling  slowly  towards  the  land, 
and  in  the  dimness  of  the  vaporous  wdng  in  the 
south  there  were  faintly  visible  the  hulls  and  white 
canvas  of  Dumanoir's  squadron  flying  for  safety, 
whilst  in  the  north-east,  with  the  wind  fresh  off  their 
beam,  were  to  be  seen  eleven  French  and  Spanish 
ships  of  the  line,  and  other  smaller  vessels,  Gravina's 
flag  blowing  out  amongst  them,  thrashing  through 
it  as  fast  as  a  press  of  canvas  could  carry  them  for 
the  security  of  Cadiz  or  Rota.  Almost  in  the  heart 
of  the  huddle  of  ships  and  prizes,  some  of  which  yet 
lifted  their  royals  to  the  sky,  though  many  of  them 
were  sheer  hulks  rolling  like  drowning  structures  upon 
the  run  of  the  sea,  was  the  French  Achille  74,  on  fire, 
with  the  tri-colour  upon  her  ensign  staff  fluttering, 
in  a  very  mockery  of  triumph,  against  the  dense 
black  clouds  of  smoke  rising  from  the  hull.  The 
action  had  begun  at  noon  ;  it  was  at  its  height  at 
about  half-past  one  ;  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
the  firing  began  to  slacken,  and  at  five  o'clock  it  had 
wholly  ceased.  Almost  as  the  last  of  the  guns 
were  thundering,  the  headland  of  Cape  Trafalgar 
was  seen  from  the  Royal  Sovereign  bearing  south- 
east by  east,  distant  eight  miles,  and  thus  it  was 
that  the  famous  fight  came  to  be  called  the  Battle 
of  Trafalgar. 


302  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.        [1805-6 

The  immediate  result  of  the  action  was  the  cap- 
ture of  seventeen  French  and  Spanish  ships  and  one 
ship  {AcJiillc)  burnt.  This  was  Nelson's  victory.  It 
was  made  very  much  completer  afterwards;  but 
this  was  the  conquest  upon  which  it  may  be  said 
that  Nelson  had  closed  his  eyes, — which  was  verita- 
bly his — achieved  before  his  heart  had  ceased  to 
beat — whilst  his  flag  was  still  flying  at  the  mast-head, 
and  whilst  he  was  yet  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the 
grim  and  intrepid  armament  which  had  helped  him 
to  this  crowning,  this  most  glorious  triumph  ! 

Joshua  White,  in  an  account  of  the  battle  in  his 
"  Life  of  Nelson,"  prints  a  romantic  detail  on  the 
authority  of  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Revenge.  The 
story  relates  to  the  burning  of  the  AcJiille.  On 
board  of  that  vessel  there  was  a  young  woman,  who, 
during  the  action,  had  been  stationed  below  to  assist 
in  handing  up  powder.  When  the  ship  took  fire, 
such  of  the  people  as  could  swim  sprang  overboard. 
The  woman  descended  to  the  lower  deck  and  re- 
mained there  till  the  guns  began  to  fall  through  the 
charred  planks  above.  She  then  got  out  of  the  gun- 
room port  on  to  the  back  of  the  rudder,  where  she 
undressed  ;  but  she  would  not  trust  herself  to  the 
water  till  the  melted  lead  from  the  taffrail  obliged 
her  to  jump.  She  got  hold  of  a  piece  of  plank,  and 
after  being  an  hour  and  a  half  in  the  water  she  was 
picked  up  by  one  of  the  Belleisles  boats  and  subse- 
quently put  on  board  the  Pickle  schooner,  where  she 
found  her  husband,  who  had  likewise  escaped.  They 
were  afterwards  landed  at  Alge^iras,  after  she  had 
been  fitted  out  by  the  British  officers  as  suitably  as 


LORD    NELSON'S    STATEMENT   OF    HIS   WOUNDS, 
w  Pettigrezv's   "  Zz/^  o/  Nelson." 


1805-61    Last  of  the  '■'Santissima  Trinidad^     303 

their  wardrobes  would  admit.  She  was  described  as 
young,  handsome,  and  very  inteIHgcnt,  a  native  of 
French  Flanders,  and  her  name  Jeannette. 

The  fate  of  two  of  the  enemy's  ships  may  be  given, 
both  of  them  being  intimately  associated  with  Nelson  ; 
the  one  as  playing  a  part  in  the  first  of  the  most  brill- 
iant achievements  of  his  career,  the  other  as  causing 
his  death.  The  Santissiuia  Trinidad  had  escaped 
him  and  Jervis  at  St.  Vincent  only  to  be  hammered 
into  a  sheer  hulk  at  Trafalgar.  A  gale  of  wind 
arose  after  the  battle  ;  a  heavy  sea  was  running  ; 
even  the  least  injured  of  the  British  line-of-battle 
ships  were  in  no  condition  to  tow  their  monster 
prizes  in  the  face  of  such  weather  as  had  now  set  in  ; 
and  Collingwood  gave  orders  that  the  leewardmost 
of  the  captured  ships  should  be  destroyed.  One  of 
these  was  Nelson's  "  old  friend,"  the  Santissima 
Trinidad.  James  says  that  she  was  cleared,  scuttled, 
and  sunk  by  the  Neptune  and  Prince,  but  that  in 
spite  of  every  care  being  taken  to  remove  the 
wounded,  twenty-eight  persons  perished.  Brenton 
tells  the  story  differently.  "  The  ofificers  of  the 
Prince  and  Neptune,''  he  says,  "  by  the  most  perse- 
vering efforts,  had  nearly  got  all  the  wounded  men 
out  of  her  by  lowering  them  down  in  cots  from  the 
stern  and  quarter-gallery  windows.  We  trust  and 
hope  that  none  of  these  unfortunate  people  were 
left  behind,  but  a  doubt  seems  to  exist.  Night  came 
on  ;  the  swell  ran  high  ;  tJirce  lower-deck  ports  on 
each  side  were  open,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  tre- 
mendous ruins  of  the  largest  ship  in  the  world  were 
buried  in  the  deep."  *     He  adds,  however,  on  the 

*  "  Naval  History,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  89. 


304  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         11805-6 

information  of  a  friend,  who  was  first  lieutenant  and 
acting  captain  of  the  Ajax  in  the  battle,  that  no  one 
was  suffered  to  perish  in  the  Santissima  Trinidad. 
The  lieutenant  (Pilfold)  was  in  the  last  boat  which 
left  the  huge  ship.  As  the  crew  shoved  off  from  the 
starboard  quarter,  a  cat  ran  out  on  to  the  muzzle  of 
one  of  the  lower-deck  guns,  and  by  a  plaintive  mew 
seemed  to  beg  for  assistance.  The  boat  returned 
and  took  her  in,  which  proves  that  there  was  no 
hurry.  The  Rcdoutable,  a  less  romantic  ship,  met  a 
very  miserable  end.  She  was  amongst  the  most 
furiously  mauled  of  the  Franco-Spanish  craft ;  her 
main-  and  mizzen-masts,  fore-topmast,  and  bowsprit 
were  gone,  her  rudder  destroyed,  her  stern  swept  in 
by  the  storms  of  cannon-balls,  her  hull  pierced  in  all 
directions,  and  every  timber  in  her  veritably  armour- 
clad  with  the  studding  of  shot.  Twenty  of  her  guns 
on  the  side  on  which  Nelson  had  engaged  her  lay 
dismounted  ;  of  her  crew  of  six  hundred  and  forty- 
three,  three  hundred  were  killed  and  two  hundred 
and  twenty-two  wounded.  Vengefully  indeed  had 
the  Victory  dealt  with  her !  Taken  in  tow  by  the 
Swiftsiire  at  five  o'clock,  she  was  actually  sinking  at 
that  hour,  with  the  signal  of  distress  flying  at  the 
stump  of  her  foremast.  The  Swiftsiire  sent  boats 
and  brought  off  part  of  the  prize-crew  and  about  a 
hundred  and  twenty  Frenchmen,  as  heavy  a  freight 
as  the  boats  could  receive.  Before  eleven  o'clock 
that  night  the  Rcdoiitable  s  stern  was  under  water, 
and  the  Swiftsure  cut  herself  clear.  At  half-past 
three  in  the  morning,  in  the  height  of  a  heavy  gale 
of  wind,  with  lightning  and  sheets  of  rain,  cries  were 


1805-6]      Important  Result  of  Trafalgar.         305 

heard,  and  the  Swiftsure  was  just  in  time  to  rescue 
fifty  more  of  the  Redoiitable  s  people,  who  had  con- 
trived to  construct  a  raft  from  the  spars  of  their 
sunken  ship.  Such  was  the  end  of  the  Redoutable. 
The  battle  of  Trafalgar  fixed  the  destinies  of 
Britain ;  but  to  appreciate  all  its  significance  it  is 
necessary  to  turn  to  French  history.  There  can  be 
little  question  that  Napoleon's  intention  to  invade 
England  was  a  very  passionately  earnest  one.  Bour- 
rienne  afifirmed  that  he  really  never  meditated  the 
descent,  and  it  was  thought  by  many  that  his  prepa- 
rations in  the  Channel  were  designed  merely  to 
furnish  occupation  to  his  troops  and  to  cover  other 
designs.  But  then  Napoleon  himself  insisted  upon 
his  having  been  in  earnest,  and  claimed  that  the  best 
combined  plan  he  had  ever  laid  during  his  whole 
career  was  defeated  by  Sir  Robert  Calder's  action 
with  the  combined  fleet.  This  plan  is  detailed  in 
most  of  the  naval  histories.  His  instructions  to 
Villeneuve  were  to  have  proceeded  with  the  Franco- 
Spanish  fleet  to  the  West  Indies  to  draw  Nelson 
after  him  ;  then  to  immediately  return,  and  after 
raising  the  blockade  of  Ferrol  and  Corunna,  to  join 
the  forces  at  Rochelle  and  Brest  and  bring  the  whole 
of  the  ships  into  the  Channel  to  cover  the  embarka- 
tion of  the  army.  He  thus  calculated  upon  a  naval 
force  of  seventy  sail-of-the-line,  an  armament  which, 
in  the  absence  of  Nelson's  fleet,  the  British  could 
have  but  ill  opposed.  Marshal  Ney  is  express  on 
this  point.  Speaking  of  Villeneuve,  he  says  :  "  He 
left  Toulon  on  the  30th  March,  and  on  the  23d  June 
he  was  at  the  Azores  on  his  return  to  Europe,  leav- 


3o6  TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelso7i.         [i so 5-6 

ing  Nelson  still  in  the  West  Indies,  but  at  the  very 
moment  when  every  one  flattered  himself  that  our 
vessels  would  speedily  arrive  to  protect  the  embarka- 
tion of  the  army,  we  learnt  that,  deterred  by  a  can- 
nonade of  a  few  hours  and  the  loss  of  two  ships  [the 
battle  with  Calder  is  here  referred  to],  he  had  taken 
refuge  in  Ferrol.  A  mournful  feeling  took  posses- 
sion of  our  minds  ;  everyone  complained  that  a  man 
should  be  so  immeasurably  beneath  his  destiny.  All 
hope,  however,  was  not  lost.  The  Emperor  still 
retained  it.  He  continued  his  dispositions,  and  in- 
cessantly urged  the  advance  of  the  marine.  Every 
one  flattered  himself  that  Villeneuve,  penetrated 
with  the  greatness  of  his  mission,  would  at  length 
put  to  sea,  join  Gantheaume,  disperse  the  fleet  of 
Cornwallis,  and  at  length  make  his  appearance  in 
the  Channel  .  .  .  Nothing  could  succeed  for  want 
of  the  covering  squadron  ;  and  soon  the  battle  of 
Trafalgar  and  the  Austrian  war  postponed  the  con- 
quest of  England  to  another  age."  * 

It  was  not  until  the  day  after  the  battle  that 
the  surgeon  of  the  'Victory  could  find  leisure  to 
give  his  attention  to  the  remains  of  the  Hero. 
There  was  no  lead  on  board  to  make  a  coffin  of; 
a  large  cask  called  a  leaguer  had  to  serve  as  a 
shell ;  the  hair  was  cut  off  the  head  of  the  body, 
which  was  stripped  of  all  clothes  except  the  shirt ; 
the  corpse  was  then  put  into  the  cask,  which  was 
filled  with  brandy  and  closed.  During  the  heavy 
weather  that  followed.  Nelson's  remains  were  placed 
under  the  Charlie  of  a  sentinel  on  the  middle  deck. 


"  Memoirs  of  Marshal  Ney,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  262. 


1805-6]      The  "  Victory  "  Reaches  England.       307 

The  cask  stood  on  end  having  a  closed  aperture  at 
its  top  and  another  below  that  the  spirit  might  be 
withdrawn  and  renewed  without  disturbing  the  body. 
On  the  24th  there  was  such  a  disengagement  of  air 
that  the  head  of  the  cask  was  lifted,  and  the  sentinel 
much  alarmed  instantly  reported  the  circumstance 
to  the  officers.  The  cask  was  thereupon  spiled  and 
the  air  freed. 

On  the  28th  the  Victory,  in  tow  of  the  Neptune, 
arrived  at  Gibraltar,  and  next  day  all  the  dangerously 
wounded  of  the  seamen  and  marines  were  sent  ashore 
to  the  hospital.  By  the  2d  of  November,  the  grand 
old  ship,  refitted  with  jury-masts,  was  ready  to  sail 
to  England.  She  was  five  weeks  in  making  the  pas- 
sage to  Spithead,  and  on  the  12th  of  December  she 
anchored  in  Dover  Roads,  whence  she  made  several 
attempts  to  proceed,  but  was  forced  to  bring  up 
again  ;  and  even  when  she  had  managed  to  get  her 
anchor  on  the  17th  she  had  shortly  afterwards  to 
come  to  a  stand  in  the  Downs. 

On  the  day  on  which  she  had  left  Spithead  Nel- 
son's body  was  taken  from  the  cask  in  which  it  had 
been  kept  since  the  22d  of  October.  It  was  now  that 
the  ball  was  discovered  ;  it  had  passed  through  the 
spine — verifying  Nelson's  repeated  assurance  that  his 
back  was  broken — and  was  lodged  in  the  muscles  of 
the  back.  It  had  embedded  with  itself  a  considera- 
ble portion  of  the  gold  lace,  pad,  and  lining  of  the 
epaulet,  and  the  lace  adhered  to  the  lead  as  firmly 
as  if  it  had  been  fused  with  the  metal  in  a  molten 
state.  The  body  was  wrapped  in  cotten  vestments 
and  placed  in  a  leaden  coffin,  filled  with  brandy  con- 


3o8  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [1805-6 

taining  camphor  and  myrrh.  This  coffin  was  then 
enclosed  in  one  of  wood,  and  deposited  in  the  cabin 
that  Nelson  had  occupied.  There  it  remained  till 
the  22d  of  December,  when  an  order  was  received 
from  the  Admiralty  for  the  removal  of  the  body. 
The  Victory  was  then  anchored  in  the  Swin  with 
Commissioner  Grey's  yacht  from  Sheerness  along- 
side of  her.  Apparently  this  yacht  had  brought  with 
her  the  coffin  that  Captain  Hallowell  had  presented 
to  Nelson,  for  Beatty  speaks  of  it  as  "  being  then 
received  on  board,"  though  Pettigrew  says  that 
L Orient  memorial  was  shipped  in  the  Victory  when 
Nelson  sailed  for  the  last  time.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
on  the  arrival  of  the  ghastly  Nile  relic  the  leaden 
coffin  was  opened  and  the  body  taken  out.  All  the 
officers  of  the  ship,  and  many  of  Nelson's  and  some 
of  Captain  Hardy's  friends  were  present  and  viewed 
the  corpse.  All  were  astonished  by  the  little  evidence 
of  decay  it  exhibited  after  the  many  weeks  that  had 
passed  since  death.  The  features  were  somewhat 
tumid  but  on  being  gently  rubbed  resumed  in  a 
great  degree  their  natural  character.  For  the  last 
time  the  remains  of  the  great  Sailor  were  viewed  by 
mortal  eyes.  Then  completely  apparelled,  the  body 
was  placed  in  the  shell  made  from  L Orient' s  mast, 
which  in  its  turn  was  enclosed  in  the  leaden  coffin. 
This  on  being  soldered  was  put  into  another  wooden 
shell,  and  in  this  form  the  remains  were  conveyed 
into  the  Commissioner's  yacht.  As  the  coffin  was 
lowered  the  Victory  struck  Lord  Nelson's  flag  at  the 
fore,  and  the  same  was  hoisted  half-mast  high  on  board 
the  yacht. 


1805-6]    England  Honours  her  Dead  Hero.     309 

The  yacht,  having  reached  Gravesend,  anchored, 
but  on  the  23d  weighed,  and  then  began  those  mili- 
tary honours  which  were  paid  to  the  dead  Hero 
throughout  the  remainder  of  the  passage.  The 
shore  was  lined  with  Volunteers  underarms  ;  minute- 
guns  were  fired  ;  every  ship  dipped  her  flag  in  a 
funereal  salute  as  the  yacht  went  by.  For  a  mile 
below  the  Arsenal  at  Woolwich  troops  were 
drawn  up  in  a  line  with  arms  reversed  ;  so  in  the 
Arsenal  and  Dockyard,  the  soldiers  stood  in  ranks, 
expressing  the  universal  grief  by  their  postures 
and  manner  of  holding  their  weapons ;  every  flag 
flew  half-mast  high,  and  the  solemn  sound  of  toll- 
ing bells  was  accentuated  by  dirges  played  by  the 
bands,  intermingled  with  the  rolling  note  of  the 
minute-guns.  At  seven  o'clock  the  body  was  landed 
at  Greenwich  and  carried  to  the  Record  Room, 
where  it  was  to  remain  until  the  Painted  Hall  could 
be  prepared  for  its  reception.  On  Sunday,  the  5th 
of  January,  it  lay  in  public  state. 

Even  at  a  distance  of  eighty-four  years  it  is  not 
difificult  to  realise  the  emotions  which  filled  the 
country  when  the  news  came  of  the  battle  of  Trafal- 
gar and  of  the  death  of  Nelson.  That  news  had 
been  received  at  the  Admiralty  at  one  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  6th  of  November,  having  been 
brought  by  the  Pickle  schooner  ;  and  Collingwood's 
dispatch  was  at  once  printed  in  a  London  Gazette 
Extraordinary.  The  Park  and  Tower  guns  thun- 
dered the  announcement  of  the  glorious  conquest ; 
but  every  sensation  of  triumph  and  rejoicing  which 
they  inspired  was   tempered,  subdued,  almost  extin- 


3IO  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [1805-6 

guished  indeed  by  thoughts  of  the  loss  which  the 
nation  had  sustained.  When  the  announcement  was 
made  to  the  King  he  was  so  deeply  affected  that  for 
some  minutes  he  was  unable  to  speak.  The  Queen 
called  her  daughters  to  her  and  wept  with  them  as 
Collingwood's  noble  dispatch  was  read  aloud.  Pitt 
was  aroused  in  the  night  to  hear  the  news,  and  he 
told  Lord  Malmesbury  that  though  he  had  been 
awakened  at  various  hours  by  the  arrival  of  all  sorts 
of  intelligence,  he  had  always  been  able  to  lay  his 
head  on  his  pillow  and  fall  asleep  again  ;  but  on  this 
occasion,  the  great  event  announced  brought  with  it 
so  much  to  weep  over  as  well  as  to  rejoice  at,  that 
he  could  not  calm  his  thoughts,  but  at  length  got 
up,  though  it  was  three  in  the  morning.  Coleridge 
declared  that  when  Nelson  died  it  seemed  as  if 
no  man  was  a  stranger  to  another;  all  were  made 
acquaintances  by  the  rights  of  a  common  anguish. 
He  was  at  Naples,  he  says,  when  the  tidings  came, 
and  he  adds :  "  Never  can  I  forget  the  sorrow  and 
consternation  that  lay  on  every  countenance.  Even 
to  this  day  there  are  times  when  I  seem  to  see,  as  in 
a  vision,  separate  groups  and  individual  faces  of  the 
picture.  Numbers  stopped  and  shook  hands  with  me 
because  they  had  seen  the  tears  on  my  check  and 
conjectured  that  I  was  an  Englishman  ;  and  several 
as  they  held  my  hand  burst  themselves  into  tears."  * 
The  whole  Navy  wept  their  loss  ;  but  the  affliction 
of  few  equalled  that  of  the  lion-hearted  sca-chieftain, 
St.  Vincent.  It  was  Nelson  who  had  added  the 
brightest  of  the  rays  to  the  glory  of  old  John  Jervis's 

*  "  The  Friend." 


NELSON'S    PILLAR,    SACKVILLE    STREET,    DUBLIN. 


1805-6]        Honours  to  Nelsons  Family.  311 

memorable  St.  Valentine's  Day.  Their  love  was 
as  that  of  brothers.  To  St.  Vincent  Nelson  owed 
the  opportunity  he  had  found  or  made  in  Aboukir 
Bay,  and  there  was  profound  gratitude  as  well  as 
veneration  in  him,  whilst  in  the  other  were  deep 
delight  in,  and  purest  admiration  of,  the  transcendent 
qualities  of  the  victor  of  Copenhagen  and  Trafalgar. 
"  On  board  his  flag-ship,"  says  a  writer,  speaking  of 
St.  Vincent,  "  on  all  those  great  occasions  when  he 
entertained  his  numerous  followers,  Nelson  s  dirge 
was  solemnly  performed  while  they  yet  surrounded 
the  table  ;  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  perceive  that 
the  great  warrior's  usual  contempt  for  displays  of 
feeling  here  forsook  him,  and  yielded  to  the  impulse 
of  nature  and  of  friendship."  * 

The  honours  and  emoluments  to  the  Nelson  family 
following  upon  Trafalgar  were  these  :  An  Earldom 
was  conferred  upon  the  Rev.  William  Nelson,  to 
which  was  attached  a  pension  of  ;i{^5,ooo  a  year  ;  a 
sum  of  £  1 20,000  was  voted  to  enable  him  to  purchase 
an  estate  to  be  named  after  the  famous  victory ; 
;^20,ooo,  however,  of  this  money  was  to  be  divided 
between  Nelson's  sisters,  Mrs.  Bolton  and  Mrs. 
Matcham  ;  and  ;i^320,ooo  were  voted  to  the  victors 
of  Trafalgar  as  compensation  for  the  prizes  which 

*  Edinburgh  Review,  1839,  45-  ^'^  ought  not  to  be  forgotten  of 
Lord  St.  Vincent  that  hearing  by  chance  that  Dibdin,  the  composer 
of  "  Tom  Bowling,"  was  in  distress,  he  at  once  sent  him  one  hundred 
pounds  and  requested  his  secretary,  Mr.  Tucker,  to  inquire  into  the 
real  state  of  the  case  ;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  it  would  indeed  be  a  shame 
that  the  man  who  has  whiled  away  the  mid-watch  and  softened  the 
hardships  of  war  should  be  in  need  while  a  seaman  enjoys  an  abun- 
dance."— Tucker's  "  Life  of  Earl  of  St.  Vincent." 


3 1 2  The  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         [1805-6 

had  been  lost  in  the  hard  weather  that  foHowed  the 
action.  CoUingwood  was  made  a  peer  ;  he  was 
without  sons,  and  sought  to  get  the  title  rendered 
hereditary  in  the  female  succession,  but  the  favour 
was  denied  him,  despite  his  services  ranking  next 
to  those  of  Nelson  himself  at  Trafalgar,  and  despite 
his  magnificent  spirit  of  dutifulness  that  held  him 
for  years  absent  from  his  fondly  loved  wife  and 
daughters,  and  that  finally  killed  him  whilst  still 
afloat.* 

Lady  Hamilton's  "  claims,"  emphasised  as  they 
had  been  by  Nelson's  last  solemn  appeal  to  his  King 
and  Country,  remained  without  recognition.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  was  amongst  her  few  well-wishers ; 
but  nothing  was  done.  Perhaps  it  was  considered 
that  she  was  left  very  much  better  off  than  she 
deserved.  Her  income,  drawn  mainly  from  money 
left  by  Nelson  and  Sir  William  Hamilton,  amounted 
to  about  ;^i,5C)0  a  year,  and  the  estate  at  Merton 
was  her  own  property  besides.  Her  extravagance 
plunged  her  into  difficulties,  and  her  vanity  and 
shiftlessness  disgusted  those  who  had  been  willing 
to  assist  her.  Mr.  J.  C.  Jeaffreson  satisfactorily  dis- 
poses of  the  extraordinary  stories  told  of  this  beauti- 
ful woman's  closing  days,  such  as  Brcnton's  talc  of 


*  "  The  lengtli  and  hardship  of  Lord  Collingwood's  service  are 
without  any  parallel.  Of  fifty  years  during  which  he  continued  in 
the  Navy,  about  forty-four  were  passed  in  active  employment  abroad  ; 
and  in  the  eventful  times  from  1793  till  his  death  in  iSio  he  was  only 
for  one  year  in  England,  and  for  the  remainder  was  principally  en- 
gaged in  tedious  blockades,  rarely  visiting  a  port ;  and  on  one  occasion 
actually  kept  the  sea  for  the  almost  incredible  space  of  twenty-two 
months,  without  once  dropping  his  anchor." — "  Memoirs."  II. 


1805-6]  The  Funeral  Procession.  3 1 3 

her  constantly  being  haunted  by  the  shade  of  Carac- 
ciolo,  and  shrieking  aloud  in  her  agonies  of  terror, 
and  such  as  that  still  more  startling  statement  of  her 
body  after  death  being  popped  into  a  bag  and  buried 
like  a  dog.  She  died  in  January,  18 15,  aged  fifty- 
one,  at  Calais.  She  had  found  a  friend  in  a  Mrs. 
Hunter,  who,  when  the  unfortunate  Emma  had 
breathed  her  last,  placed  the  dead  woman  in  a  cheap 
deal  cofifin  covered  by  a  pall  formed  of  a  white  cur- 
tain and  a  black  silk  petticoat.  A  piece  of  ground 
just  outside  Calais  had  been  consecrated,  but  there 
was  no  English  Protestant  clergyman  to  be  found, 
and  the  funeral  service  was  read,  at  Mrs.  Hunter's 
request,  by  an  Irish  half-pay  officer  !  Not  a  vestige 
of  the  grave  existed  in  1833.  The  late  Dr.  Doran  in 
that  year  sought  for  it,  and  found  its  locality  entirely 
traditionary. 

Nelson's  funeral  was  one  of  great  magnificence. 
The  Scots  Greys  led  the  procession;  other  regiments 
followed,  their  bands  playing  solemn  music,  and  the 
military  array  was  closed  by  eleven  pieces  of  cannon 
and  some  companies  of  Grenadiers.  Then  came 
lines  of  carriages  of  commoners  and  of  peers,  pen- 
sioners of  Greenwich  Hospital,  seamen  and  marines 
of  the  Victory  bearing  the  Admiral's  flag,  whose 
folds  were  sieve-like  with  the  balls  which  had  passed 
through  it ;  heralds  in  gauntlet  and  spur,  in  helm 
and  crest,  and  target  and  sword  ;  naval  lieutenants 
and  admirals  bearing  the  canopy  and  supporting  the 
pall,  with  the  coffin,  on  a  car  formed  of  four  columns 
resembling  palm-trees,  and  having  on  its  front  and 
back  a  carved  representation  of  the  head  and  stern 


314  ^/^-^  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson.         f  1805-6 

of  the  Victory.  The  expense  of  this  public  funeral 
amounted  to  ^14,000.  The  Duke  of  Clarence  shed 
tears,  and  we  may  well  suppose  them  to  be  genuine 
in  the  eyes  of  one  who  not  only  remembered  the 
dead  as  an  old  shipmate  and  an  affectionate  friend, 
but  who  would  also  think  of  him  as  the  Admiral  to 
whom  the  very  throne  owed  its  preservation. 

There  is  nothing  in  words  to  deal  with  such  a 
character  as  this  of  Nelson.  The  enumeration  of  his 
qualities  is  the  best  eloquence  that  can  express  them. 
And  yet  to  say  that  he  was  the  greatest  sea-officer 
Britain  had  ever  produced  ;  to  repeat,  in  the  language 
of  his  own  sailors,  that  he  had  the  heart  of  the  lion 
and  the  gentleness  of  the  lamb ;  to  declare  that  he 
was  as  good  as  a  man  as  he  was  great  as  an  ocean- 
warrior,  affectionate,  bountiful,  without  further  weak- 
ness than  is  to  be  witnessed  in  a  thirst  for  earthly 
distinction,  always  a  sailor  first  of  all,  yet  of  a  saga- 
city that  was  not  to  be  paralleled  by  the  intelligence 
of  the  ablest  politician  of  his  times;  clear  and  in- 
stant in  his  perceptions,  daring  and  dominating  in  his 
actions,  unerring  and  triumphant  beyond  anything 
that  history  can  tell  of  other  men  in  his  achieve- 
ments ;  to  say  this  is  to  say  what  ?  Yet  the  heart 
must  speak  the  rest.  "  I  have  him  now  before  me," 
wrote  Scott  to  Lady  Hamilton,  referring  to  Nelson, 
whose  body  the  Chaplain  was  then  watching  ;  "  here 
lies  Bayard — but  Bayard  victorious — sa)is pcur  et  sans 
reproche.  ...  So  help  me  God,  as  I  think  he  was  a 
true  knight  and  worthy  the  age  of  chivalry — one  may 
say — lui  mhne  fait  le  siccle — for  where  shall  we  see 
another?     When  I  think,  setting  aside  his  heroism, 


1805-6]  Nelsons  Greatness.  315 

what  an  affectionate,  fascinating  little  fellow  he  was, 
how  dignified  and  pure  his  mind,  how  kind  and  con- 
descending his  manners,  I  become  stupid  with  grief 
for  what  I  have  lost."  Thus  were  all  men  thinking 
and  saying.  It  is  eighty-five  years  since  he  died ; 
yet  still  is  his  name  the  one  of  all  earthly  names  to 
work  most  magically  in  the  thoughts  of  Englishmen. 
His  example  as  a  strategist  is  of  no  use  now;  it 
would  be  the  idlest  waste  of  time  to  enter,  in  this 
iron-armoured  age,  into  a  discourse  upon  his  pro- 
ceedings :  how  superior  he  was  as  an  ocean-leader  of 
men  to  Jervis,  as  Jervis  was  to  Howe,  as  Howe  was 
to  that  earlier  race  of  admirals  who  may  be  traced 
back  through  the  dim  pages  of  Campbell  and  Bur- 
chett,  fighting  most  valiantly  yet  with  circumspec- 
tion off  the  coast  of  the  English  Channel  and  down 
amongst  the  shoaling  waters  of  the  Dutch  shore. 
It  can  profit  us  nothing,  in  a  material  sense,  to  know 
that  his  great  theory  of  warfare  consisted  in  swift- 
ness of  resolution,  in  dashing  at  the  enemy,  in 
getting  alongside  of  him,  as  close  as  channels  or 
yard-arms  would  permit  and  in  firing  until  he  struck 
or  was  annihilated.  There  are  no  longer  channels; 
there  are  no  longer  yard-arms  ;  lines  ahead  may  be 
formed,  but  if  they  are  to  be  broken  no  hints  of  the 
manoeuvres  to  be  employed  are  likely  to  be  found 
in  the  most  voluminous  and  minute  accoimts  of  the 
Nelsonian  victories.  But  if  his  genius  as  an  Admiral 
of  the  days  of  tacks  and  sheets  can  no  longer  be 
serviceable  in  suggestion  to  a  posterity  whose  hopes 
are  lodged  in  steel  plates  of  twenty  inches  in  thick- 
ness,   in  engines  of   ten   thousand-horse   power,    in 


3i6 


TJie  Life  of  Horatio  Nelson. 


ordnance  big  enough  to  berth  the  crew  of  a  brig  of 
Nelson's  day,  his  example  as  an  English  sailor  must, 
whilst  there  remains  a  British  keel  afloat,  be  as 
potent  in  all  seafaring  aspirations  and  resolutions 
as  ever  it  was  at  any  moment  in  his  devoted  and 
glorious   life. 


-iaSi^- 


APPENDIX. 

TN  these  days  of  struggle  for  the  mastery  between  guns 
^  and  armor  and  the  most  efficient  methods  of  applying 
and  using  them,  when  2,000  yards  constitutes  a  fighting 
range  in  place  of  the  hand-to-hand  conflicts  that  charac- 
terized the  encounters  of  our  Hero's  period,  when  ranges 
of  fourteen  miles  are  attained,  when  tons  of  shot  and 
hundreds  of  pounds  of  powder  are  expended  in  a  single 
discharge  from  a  single  gun,  in  what  manner  can  Ave 
best  make  a  comparison  that  will  enable  us  to  estimate 
the  comparative  strength  of  the  ships  and  batteries  en- 
gaged in  the  naval  wars  of  a  century  ago,  and  at  the  same 
time  contrast  them  with  the  ships  and  cannon  of  to-day  ? 

Where,  then,  individual  prowess  and  endurance  and 
heroism  backed  bold  and  daring  tactics  ;  where  the  object 
to  be  secured  was  to  board  the  enemy's  ship  for  a  hand- 
to-hand  contest ;  where,  as  Nelson  himself  expressed  it, 
''  I  hope  we  shall  as  usual  be  able  to  get  so  close  to  our 
enemies  that  our  shot  cannot  miss  their  object "  ;  now, 
scientific  inventions  and  intricate  mechanical  instruments 
call  for  as  much  coolness  and  vigilance  and  nerve,  if  our 
commanders  are  ever  to  approach  the  records  of  the  mas- 
tersailor  whose  history  we  have  striven  to  narrate. 

But,  even  with  his  desire  for  the  means  of  wider  action, 
and  his  ability  to  adequately  estimate  the  value  of  the 
advantages  of  the  great  battle-ships  Nile  and  Trafalgar, 
named  after  his  memorable  victories,  his  spirit  tells  us 
that  he  wouM  have  given  them  all  for  one  action  aboard 
his  ^^idory,  one  chance  to  scale  the  side  of  his  enemy,  or 
one  word  from  his  beloved  Hardy. 

317 


Appendix. 


The  various  descriptions  of  ships  and  batteries  engaged 
in  the  battles  of  the  last  of  the  eighteenth  century  and 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  differ  so  widely  from  each 
other  that  it  will  often  be  interesting  to  compare  with  the 
individual  authorities  the  batteries  or  armaments  of  the 
various  classes  of  ships,  as  built  or  designed,  with  their 
actual  fighting  strength  as  engaged  in  the  several  actions. 
The  following  arrangement,  based  upon  data  obtained 
from  James's  "  Naval  History,"  will  facilitate  such  com- 
parison. Very  little  change  was  made  from  1798  to  1805, 
or  the  period  between  Nelson's  two  greatest  victories. 


Class. 

Q 

Rate. 

n 

c 

Armament. 

Remarks. 

d 

c 
0 
H 

120-Gun 

ship 

3 

First 

2508 

18    pdrs.    to    long 
32's 

112       " 

3 

" 

2351 

18  pdrs. 

112       " 

3 

" 

245712      " 

100       " 

3 

" 

228618      " 

100       " 

3 

" 

2175 

12     " 

98       " 

3 

" 

2I2I 

18     " 

Small 

98       " 

3 

1869 

12     " 

90       " 

3 

1814 

12       " 

80       " 

2 

Third 

2143 

18       " 

74     " 

2 

" 

1889 

24       " 

74     " 

2 

1887 

18       " 

Large 

74     " 

2 

1778 

18       " 

Middling 

74     " 

2 

" 

1614 

18       " 

Small 

64     " 

2 

" 

1342 

18  and  24  pdrs. 

60     " 

2 

Fourth 

1226  18    "     24    " 

56     " 

2 

1 341  Long   9-pdrs.   and 
carronades. 

Flush 

54     " 

2 

" 

1 1 82  Long  9-pdrs.    and 
carronades. 

50     " 

2 

1060  18  and  24  pdrs. 

Common,    or 
quarter-decked 

50     " 

2 

" 

gii  24  pounders 

Flush 

44     " 

2 

Fifth 

882 

" 

44-Gun 

frigate 

I 

" 

1376 

18  and  24  pdrs. 

40     " 

" 

I 

" 

1258 

24  pounders 

40     " 

" 

1 

' ' 

1172 

18       " 

38     " 

I 

1064 

Large 

Appendix. 


319 


Section  of  frigate,  with  long  gun  on  main-deck  and  carronade  on 
spar-deck.  Taken  from  "  The  American  Artillerist's  Companion," 
by  Louis  de  Toussard  (Philadelphia,  181 1). 


320 

Appendix 

Class. 

a 

0 

Rate. 

B 
C 
0 

Armament. 

Remarks. 

38-Gun  frigate 

Fifth 

941 

Small 

36     "       " 

*  * 

1030  18  pounders 

Large 

36     "       " 

" 

890  18 

Small 

36     "       " 

" 

93912 

32     "       " 

" 

914  18 

Large 

32     " 

" 

801  18 

Small 

32     "       " 

" 

777,12 

Large 

32     "       " 

" 

704  12       " 

Small 

28     "       " 

Sixth 

610 

24-Gun  post  ship 

" 

524 

Quarter-decked 

24     " 

" 

528 

22      " 

" 

532 

Flush 

20      " 

" 

432 

Quarter-decked 

20      " 

" 

530 

Flush 

28  Carronade 

Sloops 

386  Carronades 

l8-Gunbhip  sloop 

" 

465 

Quarter-decked 

18     " 

" 

312 

Flush 

16     " 

345 

Quarter-decked, 
large 

16     " 

319 

Quarter-decked, 
small 

16     " 

" 

327 

Flush 

14     " 

" 

304 

Quarter-decked, 

14     "            " 

" 

230 

Flush 

1 8-Gun  brig  sloop 

" 

384 

Large 

18     " 

" 

325 

Small 

16     " 

" 

310 

14     " 

" 

202 

Bombs 

320 

8  guns,  2  mortars 

Fire-ships 

423 

14  guns 

Gun-brig 

202 

147 

170 

14     ' 
12     ' 
10     ' 

Cutters 

Fourth 
Fifth 

181 

137 

"7 

no 

90 

88 

1249 

899 
697 

14     ' 

12     ' 

10     ' 

8     ' 

6     ' 

4     ' 
26     ' 

24     ' 

18     ' 

Floating  battery 

1373 
372 

46  and  48  guns 
20  guns  and  under 

Gun-vessels 

75 

I  to  4  guns 

Appendix. 


321 


Authorities  generally  agree  that  the  French  and  Span- 
ish ships  of  similar  classes  carried  heavier  batteries  than 
the  British.  James,  in  comparing  a  British  three-decker 
of  the  98-gun  class  with  a  French  80 — the  Franklin^ — 
gives  : 


Weight  of 

Decks. 

British  98. 

French  80. 

Each  of  the 

Franklin  s 

Guns. 

No.       Pdrs. 

No.       Pdrs. 

cwt.   qrs.   lbs. 

First  or  lower 
"            " 

28  long  32 

30  long  36  iron 
2     "36  brass 

73       2      18 

Second. 

30     "     18 

32     "    24  iron 
2     "24  brass 

51       0      14 

Third. 

30     "     12 

Quarter-deck 

8     "     12 

12     "     12  iron 
2     "     12  brass 

33       I      16 

Forecastle. 

2       "       12 

6     "     12  iron 

Poop. 

6  carrs.  1 8 

6carrs.  36  brass 

104 

92 

Broadside 

j  No.        58 
]  lbs.  1,012 

j        46 
\  1,287 

guns. 

The  Santissima  Trinidad axid  her  class  of  gun-ships  were 
built  to  mount  126  guns,  distributed  as  follows  :  On  the 
lower  gun-deck,  30  long  36-pounders  ;  on  the  second 
deck,  32  long  iS's  ;  on  the  third  deck,  32  long  12's  ;  and 
on  the  spar-deck,  32  8-pounders.*  James,  in  his  "  Naval 
History,"  describes  them  as  130-gun  ships,  and  some 
British  authorities  place  the  Santissima  Trinidad's  strength 
in  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  at  140  ;  and,  although  the  Span- 
ish gun-ships  generally  mounted  a  greater  number  of 
guns  than  the  British,  the  weight  of  metal  thrown  at  a 

*  Simpson,  1859. 
21 


322 


Appendix. 


single  broadside  was  about  the  same  :  as,  for  example, 
that  of  the  Santissima  Trinidad  was  1,190  pounds  to 
I,  I  So  pounds  from  the  Victory,  the  former  with  a  battery 
of  130  guns,  the  latter  100. 


Section  of  a  flush-deck  corvette  or  sloop,  carrying  long  g[uns. 

Graviere  gives  the  Spaniards  a  larger  complement  of 
guns  than  any  other  authority  : 


Name  of  Ship. 


Principe  de  Asturias  , 
Santa  Ana   .     .     .     . 
Santissima  Trinidad  , 
Argonauta   . 
San  Augustine . 
San  Justo     ... 
San  I^eandro 


Number 

of  Guns. 

James. 

Graviere. 

112 

118 

112 

120 

130 

136 

80 

92 

74 

80 

74 

76 

64 

74 

Appendix. 


zn 


The  guns  of  the  74's  were  distributed  as  follows  : 

Gun-deck,        58  long  24's. 

c         ,     ,  (10  carronades  36-pounders. 

'  ^  ^'  (    4  long  8-])0unders. 

Poop-deck,        6  carronades  24-pounders. 

These  were  probably  supplemented  by  coehorns 
mounted  in  the  tops,  and  a  few  smaller  pieces  movable 
about  the  decks.  The  coehorn  was  a  very  light  mortar, 
discharging  a  large  projectile  with  a  small  charge  of 
powder  ;  it  is  probable  that  its  projectile  was  intended 
to  operate  by  means  of  the  force  of  gravity  when  the 
ships  would  be  within  its  short  range.  A  heavy  pro- 
jectile falling  from  a  great  height  and  landing  on  a 
ship's  deck  might  do  much  damage.* 


UoSi—  eo'."9a ->! 


Coehorn  Howitzer,  1805. — Weight,  2^  cwt. 

French  shot  was  heavier  than  the  nominal  weight  of 
corresponding  English  shot,  viz.:  f 


Nominal  Weight  of  French  Shot 
in  English  Pounds. 


Actual  Weight  of  Same  Shot  in 
English  Pounds. 


36-pounders. 

24 

18 

12        " 


43  lbs.  4      oz. 
28    "    8^  " 

21  "  \Yz  " 

14  "  7     " 


There   was   very   little  alteration  in  the  batteries  of 
ships  for  a  long  period  previous  to  the  year  1806.     Car- 
*  Simpson,  1859.  f  Simmons,  1837. 


324  Appendix. 

ronades  of  small  weight  and  large  calibre  took  the  place 
in  many  cases  of  the  9-  and  12-pounder  long  guns. 
Carronades  were  short,  without  trunnions,  having  a  loop 
on  the  outside  which  set  between  lugs  on  the  bed,  a  bolt 
passing  through  the  lugs  and  the  loop  ;  the  bed  was 
mounted  on  a  slide.  The  name  was  derived  from  the 
Carron  factory  in  Scotland,  the  first  pieces  of  the  kind 
having  been  made  there  in  1779  ;  they  were  of  large  cali- 
bre and  of  light  proportional  weight.  The  powder  charge 
was  small,  but  at  close  quarters  they  were  very  effective. 

One  great  objection  to  the  batteries  of  the  age  was  the 
variety  of  calibres  crowded  together  in  the  same  ship 
and  sometimes  on  the  same  deck.  Each  calibre  had  to 
have  its  own  ammunition  which  greatly  multiplied  difficul- 
ties of  storage  and  complication  of  distribution.  The 
introduction  of  carronades  assisted  very  much  in  meet- 
ing some  of  these  difficulties.  In  order  to  combine  a 
gun  which  was  too  light  for  effect  with  one  that  was  too 
heavy  for  convenient  manoeuvring  and  rapid  manipula- 
tion, the  1 8-pounder  came  into  use  as  a  favored  battering- 
piece.  The  next  higher  calibre  was  used  occasionally  on 
the  lower  decks  against  antagonists  having  sides  which 
required  shot  of  greater  penetration  than  the  18- 
pounder.  For  the  upper  decks  of  ships,  however,  this 
gun  was  found  too  heavy  and  occupied  too  much 
room  ;  9-pounders  therefore  were  substituted  on  these 
decks  ;  that  calibre,  however,  not  giving  enough  weight 
of  blow,  the  carronade  was  introduced.  The  32-pound 
carronade  and  carriage  weighed  about  the  same  as  that 
of  the  long  9.  By  this  substitution,  therefore,  no  weight 
was  added,  but  much  was  gained  in  effect,  especially  at 
short  range,  the  32-pound  shot  having  almost  double  the 
percussive  force.  The  carronades  had  from  sixty  to 
eighty  pounds  of  metal  for  every  pound  of  shot.     Few 


Appendix. 


325 


guns  now  are  made  with  less  than  one  hundred  pounds 
of  metal  to  one  of  shot,  and  the  heaviest  average  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-three  pounds  of  metal  to  one  of 
shot.  If  the  superiority  of  the  longer  guns  were  taken 
into  consideration  the  comparative  force  would  differ 
somewhat  from  the  universally  accepted  comparisons.* 


-\-—  -xe 


— j^ 4^1 

32-Pound  Carronade,  1779. — Weight,  17  cwt. 


The    following   tables    give    the  officially    authorized 
armaments  of  the  periods  indicated  in  each  table  : 

SCALE   FOR   ARMING    THE    DIFFERENT    RATES   IN   THE    BRITISH     NAVY    WITH 

CARRONADES,     ...       AS  DRAWN  UP  BY  ORDER    OF   THE 

BOARD    OF    ADMIRALTY,    JULY    1 3,    1 779-1 


Total  number 

Rate. 

Class. 

Quarter-deck. 

Forecastle. 

Poop. 

of 

carnage  guns. 

No. 

Pdrs. 

No. 

Pdrs. 

No.  Pdrs. 

First. 

lOO-gun  ship. 

2 

12 

8       12 

no 

Second. 

90  or  98  " 

4 

12 

6       12 

100  or  108 

Third. 

(74 
I64 

2 

12 

6       12 

82 

2 

12 

6       12 

72 

Fourth. 

50 

2 

24 

2 

24 

6       12 

60 

r44 

3^     *: 

8 

18 

2 

18 

54 

Fifth. 

6 

18 

4 

18 

43 

1 36 

4 

18 

4 

18 

44 

132 

6 

18 

2 

18 

40 

(28 

4 

18 

2 

18 

34 

Sixth. 

J24 

6 

12 

4 

12 

34 

(20            " 

6 

12 

2 

12 

28 

Sloops. 

j  18,  16, and  14 
\    ship-rigged. 

6 

12 

2 

12 

j  26,  24, 
(  and  22 

*  Simpson,  1859. 


f  James. 


TABLE   OF   THE   ESTABLISHED  ARMAMENTS  OF  FRENCH  SHIPS   AT  THE 
END    OF   THE    EIGHTEENTH    CENTURY.* 


c 

■2^ 

Quarte 

--deck 

Forecastle. 

Poop. 

d 

"S.tJ 

Class. 

0 

si 

Brass 
carrs. 

Brass  carrs. 

5^ 

0     -a 

d  1 

•  id 

12 

^   ft, 

d 

ll 

I20-gun  ship. 

32  36 

3424 

34  12 

14    8 

6    8 

436 

124  1098 

no 

30  36 

32  24 

32  12 

12    8 

4    8 

43b 

114 

1037 

80        " 

30  36 

32  24 

12  12 

6  12 

6  3fa 

86 

840 

74       " 

28  36 

3024 

12    8 

4    8 

4  3(5 

78 

690 

40-gun  frig. 

28  iS 

10    8 

2  36 

2    8 

2  36 

44 

330 

38 

26  18 

10    8 

2  36 

2    8 

2  36 

42 

320 

36 

26  12 

8    6 

2  36 

2    6 

2  36 

40 

300 

32 

26  12 

4    6 

2  36 

2    6 

2  36 

36 

275 

28 

24    8 

6 

36 

2    6 

32 

200 

In  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  it  is  probable  that  the  actual 
number  of  guns  approximated  closely  to  the  nominal, 
and  that  the  following  tables,  taken  principally  from 
James's  "  Naval  History,"  are  correct  : 

LIST   OF    SHIPS    ENGAGED    IN    THE    BATTLE   OE    THE   NILE   (ABOUKIR), 
AUGUST    I    AND    2,     I798.        ENGLISH    FLEET. 


Number  of  Guns. 

Class. 

Nominal.    Actual. 

Gun- 
ship 

(  Rear-Adm.   (b.)  Sir    IIo- 

Vanguard 

74 

■<      ratio  Nelson,  K.B. 

(  Captain  Edward  Berry 

Orion 

74 

Captain  Sir  James  Saumarez 

Culloden 

74 

"      Thomas  Troubridge 

Bellerophon 

74 

"  Henry  D'Esterre 
Darby 

Minotaur 

74 

"      Thomas  Louis 

Defence 

74 

John  Peyton 

Alexander 

74 

"      Alexander       John 
Ball 

Zealous 

74 

"      Samuel  Hood 

Audacious 

74 

"       Davidge  Gould 

Goliath 

74 

"      Thomas  Foley 

Majestic 

74 

George  Blagden 
Westcott 

Swiftsure 

74 

Benjamin  Hal- 
lowell 

Theseus 

74 

"  Ralph  Willett  Mil- 
ler 

Leander 

50 

"  Thomas  Boulden 
Thompson 

1,012 

•  James, 


Appendix. 


327 


LIST  OF   SHIPS    ENGAGED    IN   THE   BATTLE    OF   THE   NILE   (ABOUKIR), 
AUGUST    I    AND    2,    1 798.      FRENCH    FLEET. 


Number  of  Guns. 

Class. 

Name. 

Command. 

Nominal.   Actual. 

Vice-Adm.  Brueys 

Gun- 
ship 

Rear-  Adm.  Honore  Gau- 

Orient 

120 

teaume 

Commodore    Casa- 

Bianca 

R  e  a  r-Adm.    A  r  m  a  n  d- 

Franklin 

80 

Sim.-Mar  Blanquet 
Captain  Maurice  Gillet 
1  Rear-Adm.  P.-C.-J.-Bap. 

Guillaume 

80 

Silv.  Villeneuve 

Tell 

(  Captain Saulnier 

Tonnant 

80 

Commodore  Arist.-Aub.  du 
Petit-Thouars 

Aquilon 

74 

Commodore    Henri-Alexan- 
dre Thevenard 

Genereux 

74 

Captain Le  Joille 

Conquerant 

74 

"       Etienne  Dalbarade 

Heureux 

74 

"       Jean-Pierre  Etienne 

Guerrier 

74 

"       Jean-F.-Timothee 
Trullet,  sen. 

Mercure 

74 

"       Cambon. 

Souverain 

74 

"       Pierre -Paul    R  ac- 

Peuple 

cord 

Spartiate 

74 

"       Maurice-  Julien 
Emeriau 

Timoleon 

74 

"       Jean- Fr.-Timothee 
Trullet,  jun. 
Rear-Adm.  Denis  Decres 

Frigate 

Diane 

40 

-<  Captain  Eleonore-J  e  a  n  - 
(      Nic.  Soleil 

Justice 

40 

Captain Villeneuve 

Artemise 

36 

"       Pierre-Jean-Stande- 
let 

Serieuse 

36 

"       Claude  Jean  Martin 

Brig 

Alerte 

18 

Railleur 

14 

Bomb 

Hercule 

8 

Salamine 

8 

1,226 

328 


Appendix. 


comparative  force  and  loss  at  the  battle  of  the  nile 
(aboukir).* 


Fleet. 

Number  of  guns. 

Loss. 

Killed.     Wounded. 

English. 
French. 

I,OI2. 

1,226. 

218.           678. 
2,000. 

In  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  James  considers  twenty- 
seven  and  thirty-three  a  fair  criterion  of  the  relative 
forces,  and  that  2,148  and  2,626  represent  the  aggre- 
gate number  of  rated  guns  on  each  side.  The  following 
tables  are  based  upon  James,  but  certain  modifications 
have  been  made  to  conform  to  some  of  the  figures 
found  in  his  text. 


LIST   OF    SHIPS   engaged    IN   THE   BATTLE   OF   TRAFALGAR,    OCTOBER 

21,  1805.    English  Fleet. 


Number 

of  Guns. 

Class. 

Name. 

Command. 

Nominal 

Actual. 

Gun- 
ship. 

Victory 

100 

102 

r  Vice-Adm.  (w.)  Lord  Nel- 
son, K.B. 
1  Captain  Thomas  Master- 
ly     man  Hardy 
r  Vice-Adm.   (b.)  Cuthbert 
Collingwood 

Royal    Sov- 

100 

112 

ereign 

Captain     Edward     Roth- 
eram 

(  Rear-Adm.  (w.)  the  Earl 

Britannia 

100 

108 

\      of  Northesk 

r  Captain  Charles  Bullen 

Temeraire 
Prince 

98 
98 

102 
104 

Captain  Eliab  Harvey 

Richard  Grindall 

Neptune 

98 

104 

"         Thomas        Francis 
Fremantle 

*  James. 


Appendix.                           329 

Number  of  Guns. 

Class. 

Name. 

Command. 

Nominal. 

Actual. 

Gun- 

Dread- 

98 

104 

Captain  John  Conn 

ship 

nought 

Tonnant 

80 

90 

"         Charles  Tyler 

Belleisle 

74 

90 

"          William  Hargood 

Revenge 

74 

82 

"         Robert  Moorsom 

Mars 

74 

82 

"         George  Duff 

Spartiate 

74 

82 

"  Sir  Francis  Laforey, 
Bart. 

Defiance 

74 

82 

"  Philip  Charles  Dur- 
ham 

Conqueror 

74 

82 

"         Israel  Pellew 

Defence 

74 

82 

"         George  Hope 

Colossus 

74 

82 

"         James  Nicoll  Mor- 

Leviathan 

74 

82 

ns 
"         Henry         William 
Bayntun 

Achille 

74 

82 

"         Richard  King 

Bellerophon 

74 

82 

"         John  Cooke 

Minotaur 

74 

82 

"  Charles  John  Moore 
Mansfield 

Orion 

74 

82 

"         Edward  Codrington 

Swiftsure 

74 

82 

"  William  George 
Rutherford 

Ajax 

74 

82 

Lieut.     John  Pilfold 

Thunderer 

74 

82 

"         John  Stockham 

Polyphemus 

64 

68 

Captain  Robert  Redmill 

Africa 

64 

68 

"         Henry  Digby 

Agamem- 

64 

68 

"         Sir  Edward  Berry 

non 

Frigate 

Euryalus 

40 

40 

"  Hon.  Henry  Black- 
wood 

Naiad 

40 

40 

"          Thomas  Dundas 

Phoebe 

40 

40 

"  Hon.  Thomas  Bla- 
den Capel 

Sirius 

40 

40 

"         William  Prowse 

Schooner 

Pickle 

16 

18 

Lieut.  John  Richards  La- 
penotiere 

Cutter 

Entrepre- 

nante 

12 

14 

"         John  Puver 

2,336 

2,542 

330 


Appendix. 


LIST  OF   SHIPS   ENGAGED   IN   THE    BATTLE  OF   TRAFALGAR,    OCTOBER 
21,    1805.      FRENCH   FLEET. 


Class. 

Name. 

No. 

Guns. 

Command. 

Nom. 

Act. 

(  Vice-Ad.  P.-Ch.-J.-B.-S.  ViUe- 

Gunship 

Bucentaure 

80 

86 

\      neuve 

(  Capt.  Jean- Jacques  Magendie 

\  Rear-Ad.    P.-R.-M.-E.   Duma- 

Formidable 

80 

86 

-<      noir-le-Pelley 

(  Capt.  Jean-Marie  Letellier 

Neptune 

80 

84 

Comm.  Esprit-Tranquille  Maistral 

Indompta- 

80 

80 

Comm.  Jean- Joseph  Hubert 

ble 

Alge9iras 

78* 

\  Rear-Ad.  Charles  Magon 

74 

(  Capt.  Gabriel-Auguste  Brouard 

Pluton 

74 

78 

Comm.  Julien-MarieCosmao-Ker- 
julien 

Mount 

74 

78 

Comm.  Guill. -Jean-Noel  La  Ville- 

Blanc 

S"s                .            . '    ,      . 

Intre'pide 

74 

78 

Comm.        Louis-Antome-Cyprien 
Infernet 

Swiftsure 

74 

78 

Capt.     C.-E.-L'Hospitalier-Villc' 
madrin 

Aigle 

74 

78 

"    Pierre-Paul  Gourrege 

Scipion 

74 

78 

"    Charles  Berengerf 

Duguay- 

74 

78 

"    Claude  Touffet 

Trouin 

Berwick 

74 

78 

"   Jean-Gilles  Filhol-Camas 

Argonaute 

74 

78 

"    Jacques  Epron 

Achille 

74 

78 

"    Gabriel  Denieport 

Redoutable 

74 

78 

"   Jean-Jacques-Etien-ne  Lucas 

Fougueux 

74 

78 

"    Louis  Alexis  Beaudouin  f 

Heros 

74 

78 

"  Jean-Bap. -Jos. -Remi  Poulain 

Frigate 

Cornclie 

40 

44 

"    Martinea 

Ilerniione 

40 

44 

"    Mahc 

Hortense 

40 

44 

"    Lameillerie 

Rhin 

40 

44 

"    Chesneau 

Themis 

40 

44 

"    J "Ran 

Brig 

Argus 

40 

44 

"    Taillard 

Furet 

40 

44 

' '    Demay 

1,636 

i./Sf^- 

*  James  in  his  text  estimates  the  armaments  of  the  74's  in  this  action 
to  have  been  from  82  to  84  guns. 

f  Gravicre  states  that  the  Scipion  was  commanded  by  Captain  Bel- 
langer  and  the  Fougueux  by  Louis  Alexis  Baudouin. 


Appendix. 


l^-^ 


LIST  OF 

SHIPS  ENGAGED   IN  THE  BATTLE  OF   TRAFALGAR,    OCTOBER 

21 

1805. 

SPANISH 

FLEET. 

Number  of  Guns. 

Class. 

Name 

Command. 

Nominal 

Actual. 

rRear-Adm.   Don    B.    Hi- 

Gun- 

Santissima 

130 

126 

J      dalgo  Cisneros 

ship 

Trinidad 

Commod.  Don  Francisco 
de  Uriarte 
'  Admiral    Don    Frederico 

Principe  de- 
Asturias 

112 

112 

Gravina 
I  Rear.Adm.  Don  Antonio 
[      Escano 
Vice-Adm.  Don  Ign.  Ma- 

Santa Ana 

112 

112 

ria  de  Alava 
Captain  Don  Josef  Gar- 
doqui 

Rayo 

100 

100 

Commod.     Don     Enrique 
Macdonel 

Neptuno 

80 

82 

"         Don     Cayetano 
Valdes 

Argonanta 

80 

82 

"         Don     Antonio 
Pare  j  as 

Bahama 

74 

78 

Captain  Don    Dionisio  Ga- 
liano 

Montanez 

74 

78 

"      Don  Josef  Salzedo 

San  Augus- 

74 

78 

"      Don    Felipe    Xado 

tin 

Cagigal 

San  Ilde- 

74 

78 

"      Don  Josef  Bargas 

fonso 

S.  Juan  Ne- 

74 

78 

"       Don    Cosme    Chur- 

pomuceno 

ruca 

Monaica 

74 

78 

"      Don    Teodoro    Ar- 
gumosa 

S.  Francis- 

74 

78 

"      Don  Luis  de  Flores 

co  de  Asis 

San  Justo 

74 

78 

"      Miguel  Gaston 

San  Lean- 

64 

68 

"      Josef  Quevedo 

dro 

1,270 

1,306 

Napoleon's  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  Spanish  fleet  is 
best  described  in  his  letter  to  Admiral  Decres,  August 
13,  1805,  viz.  :     "  Villeneuve  will  notice  in  my  calcula- 


332  Appendix. 

tions  that  I  wish  him  to  attack  every  time  that  he  is 
superior  in  number,  counting  two  Spaiiish  ships  only 
as  one.''  * 

Of  the  thirty-three  ships  that  composed  the  combined 
fleets  of  France  and  Spain  in  the  action  of  the  21st  of 
October,  1805,  off  Cape  Trafalgar  (exclusive  of  the  French 
frigates  and  brigs),  four  were  sent  to  Gibraltar,  sixteen 
were  destroyed,  nine  returned  to  Cadiz  (but  four  of  these 
were  serviceable),  and  four  escaped  to  the  southward. 
Captain  the  Hon.  Henry  Blackwood,  commanding  the 
English  frigate  Euryahis,  stated  that  the  actual  number 
of  ships  taken  and  destroyed  was  nineteen   sail-of-the- 

line.f 

Graviere  gives  the  following  figures  relating  to  the 
battle  of  Trafalgar  : 


Fleet. 

Number  of  Guns. 

Killed.                 Wounded. 

English 
French 
Spanish 

2,148 
1,356 
1,270 

449t                      i,24i§ 
2,3i3f 
1,000                        1,383 

The  man  who  shot  Nelson  has  been  discovered, 
through  his  own  memoirs,  to  have  been  Sergeant  Robert 
Guillemard.  He  was  stationed  in  the  rigging  of  the 
Redoiitable,  and  busied  himself  in  picking  off  men  on  the 
Victory.  He  writes  :  "  In  the  stern  of  the  Victory  stood 
an  officer  covered  with  decorations,  who  had  only  one 
arm.  From  what  I  had  heard  of  Nelson,  I  had  no  doubt 
that  it  was  he.  As  I  had  received  no  command  to  come 
down  out  of  the  rigging,  and  found  myself  forgotten  in 
the  top,  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  fire  into  the  stern  of  the 
English  ship,  which  I  saw  unprotected  and  quite  near. 
I  might  have  aimed  at  particular  individuals,  but  I  pre- 

*  Graviere.  f  "  Nelson's  Dispatches." 

IJames.  §  Accounted  for,  but  loss  much  greater. 


I     i 


Appendix.  333 

ferred  to  fire  into  the  separate  groups  which  surrounded 
the  different  officers.  All  at  once  I  perceived  a  great 
commotion  on  board  the  Victory.  The  people  crowded 
around  the  officer  in  whom  I  believed  I  had  recognized 
Lord  Nelson.  He  had  fallen  to  the  deck,  and  they  car- 
ried him  away  at  once,  covered  with  a  mantle.  The  ex- 
citement among  the  Victory's  crew  confirmed  me  in  the 
belief  that  I  had  not  been  deceived,  and  that  it  was  in- 
deed the  English  Admiral.  A  moment  later  the  Victory 
ceased  firing." 

To  contrast  the  Navy  of  to-day  with  that  of  the  time 
of  Nelson,  look  at  the  Victory  as  she  lies  at  her  moor- 
ings in  Portsmouth  Dock-Yard,  combined  with  her 
surroundings  of  scientific  accessories  of  modern  naval 
warfare. 

If  her  dimensions  alone  and  those  of  the  magnificent 
battle-ships  named  in  commemoration  of  the  Hero's  great 
victories  at  Aboukir  and  Trafalgar  are  compared,  no 
startling  difference  will  appear.  The  Victory  has  an 
extreme  length  of  226^  feet  ;  three  gun-decks  of  186 
feet,  mounting  30  guns  each  ;  a  beam  of  52  feet,  and  2\^ 
feet  depth  of  hold.  But,  being  built  of  wood,  her  dis- 
placement, when  fully  equipped  and  manned,  was  only 
2,200  tons.  The  Nile  and  Trafalgar  have  a  length  of 
345  feet  ;  a  beam  of  73  feet,  with  a  draught  of  27  J-  feet. 
Fully  equipped  and  manned,  each  will  displace  12,500 
tons.  But  while  the  battle-ship  carries  but  four  (4)  guns 
in  her  main  battery  and  but  26  more  in  the  auxiliary,  the 
Victory  carried  102  guns  into  action  at  Trafalgar.  The 
weight  of  metal  in  her  entire  broadside,  however, 
amounted  to  but  1,180  pounds,  while  one  alone  of  the 
heaviest  guns  of  the  Nile  and  Trafalgar  will  throw 
a  shell  of  1,250  pounds'  weight,  which  will  penetrate 
2g\   inches    of    iron,    and    their   individual    broadsides 


334  Appendix. 

will  aggregate  more  than  5,000  pounds.  Built  of  steel, 
these  battle-ships  are  without  masts  (except  a  military 
one),  and  are  driven  by  high-pressure  steam  at  a  speed 
of  \(i\  knots,  while  the  Victory  was  of  wood  and  driven 
by  sails. 


Nelson^ s  Visit  to  Portsmouth,  1798. 

Sir  : — I  have  just  read  your  interesting  "  Life  of 
Nelson  "  in  the  "  Heroes  Series,"  and  think  you  may  feel 
interested  in  what  I  have  to  tell  you,  in  reference  to  a 
possible  second  edition. 

You  quote  Southey,  in  a  rather  doubtful  way,  in  refer- 
ence to  Nelson's  embarkation  for  his  last  voyage.  I 
think  I  can  give  you  positive  information  and  somewhat 
interesting  details  even  at  this  distant  point  of  time. 

An  uncle  of  my  own  died  here  December  9,  1878,  aged 
81.  He  used  to  relate  what  was  probably  more  a  family 
tradition,  or  rather  what  he  had  heard  from  his  father, 
than  a  matter  of  certain  memory  of  his  own,  in  all  its 
details,  the  following  : 

On  the  day  to  which  you  refer,  Mr.  Samuel  Price,  of 
Warblington  Street,  Portsmouth,  a  pawnbroker  there, 
took  his  young  son,  Matthew  Porter  Price,  to  join  the 
crowds  of  people  who  went  to  get  a  sight  of  Nelson,  but 
finding  the  street  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  George 
Hotel  so  full  of  people  that  there  was  small  chance  of 
seeing  anything,  and  having  regard  to  the  safety  of  his 
son,  he  made  his  way  to  Southsea  Beach,  whence  he 
might  get  a  distant  view  of  the  exciting  event  and  see 
the  boat  as  it  passed  through  Spithead.  While  on  the 
beach  Mr.  Price  was  much  surprised  to  see  Nelson  ap- 
proach from  the  town  with  one  or  two  companions,  and 
told  his  lad  to   take   off   his  cap  when  the  gentleman 


Appendix.  335 

who  was  approaching  came  near,  and  have  him  take 
notice  of  him,  for  he  was  the  great  Lord  Nelson.  The 
Admiral's  barge  or  boat  was  on  the  beach  at  the  spot 
where  af-terwards  Hollingsworth's  Assembly  Rooms  were 
built.  As  Nelson  was  about  to  embark,  he  beckoned  to 
Mr.  Price,  requesting  him  to  return  to  the  town  and 
make  known  to  the  waiting  crowd  at  the  George  Hotel 
that  he  was  already  embarked  and  on  his  way  to  his 
ship.  Mr.  Price  spoke  to  him  a  little,  and  in  the  con- 
versation asked  to  be  excused  for  the  liberty,  but,  as  a 
humble  but  Christian  man  he  ventured  to  remind  his 
Lordship  that  he  was  going  on  a  dangerous  expedition, 
from  which  he  might  never  return,  and  that  he  ought  to 
think  of  the  concerns  of  his  soul.  Nelson  thanked  him 
for  his  freedom  in  speaking  on  the  subject,  and  said  that 
life  on  board  ship  was  not  favourable  to  piety,  but  he 
added  "  I  think  more  of  those  things  than  people  will 
give  me  credit  for." 

My  uncle  was  standing,  in  the  meantime,  cap  in  hand, 
looking  up  at  the  great  man,  who  then  patted  his  head, 
and  said  to  his  father  that,  if  he  ever  thought  of  sending 
his  little  fellow  to  sea,  he  would  be  glad  to  be  of  service 
to  him,  if  Mr.  Price  applied  to  him. 

As  described  in  Southey,  Nelson,  with  one  or  two 
attendants,  he  desiring  to  shun  the  deep  excitement  of 
the  crowded  street,  and  possibly  under  great  tension  of 
feeling  from  having  so  recently  parted  from  Lady  Ham- 
ilton and  his  daughter,  passed  by  the  back  of  the  inn 
into  Penny  Street,  and  so  by  Green  Row  and  the  gate 
leading  to  Southsea  reached  Southsea  Beach,  where  his 
barge  was  in  waiting. 

Portsmouth  people  of  the  present  day  would  possibly 
fail  to  comprehend  how  Nelson  would  be  likely  to  be  at 
the  George,  as  all  great  people  embark  from  the  Dock- 


^2,6  Appendix. 

yard  now.  But  in  my  young  days  the  place  of  embar- 
kation and  landing  for  the  Royal  Navy  was  at  some  stairs 
close  to  the  High  Street  semaphore,  on  the  harbour  side. 
The  Port-Admiral's  headquarters  or  offices  being  in  an 
old  house  opposite  the  George  Hotel,  this  hotel  was  fre- 
quented by  the  superior  officers,  the  Fountain  Hotel  by 
lieutenants  and  midshipmen. 

My  uncle's  credibility  was  of  a  high  order,  his  mind 
being  remarkable  for  clearness  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  brought  up  as  a  printer,  and  afterwards 
became  "  reader,"  and  was  employed  by  Charles  Knight, 
then  in  Ludgate  Hill,  and  for  him  "  read "  the  Pentiy 
Cyclopedia  and  many  other  noted  publications  of  the 
time  ;  finally,  on  Knight's  failure,  passing  to  Clowes's 
Sons,  with  whom  he  remained  until  his  inability  to  pass 
a  first-class  proof  to  press  with  one  reading,  as  younger 
men  then  undertook  to  do,  gave  him  his  signal  to  retire 
upon  his  savings  and  a  small  patrimony  which  had  come 
to  him  while  at  Clowes's.  I  have  heard  him  relate  that 
he  had  "  read  "  the  Nautical  Almanack  on  one  occasion 
when,  from  some  unusual  circumstances,  it  had  to  be 
reprinted  in  a  week.  He  was  often  upon  the  Quarterly 
Review,  and  told  of  his  detecting  Wilson  Croker,  the 
editor,  in  blunders  from  time  to  time.  Though  my  uncle 
was  remarkably  free  from  conceit,  he  referred  to  this 
fact  with  some  enjoyment. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Yours  truly, 

S.  Price. 
Portsmouth,  Fel>y.  22,  1891. 


INDEX. 


Aboukir  Bay,  the  French  fleet  in, 
95  ;  Nelson  enters,  99  ;  battle 
of,  see  battle  of  the  Nile. 

Achille,  the,  on  fire  at  Trafalgar, 
301  ;  romantic  story,  302 

Acre,  siege  of,  raised,  146 

Active,  the,  watches  Toulon,  247  ; 
notifies  Nelson  of  the  sailing  of 
the  French  fleet,  247 

Acton,  Sir  John  Francis,  Prime- 
Minister  of  Naples,  44  ;  con- 
venes a  council,  94  ;  letter  from 
Nelson,  227 

Adair,  Captain,  marine  officer  on 
the  Victory,  294  ;  killed  at 
Trafalgar,  295 

Addington,  Right  Honourable 
Henry,  Nelson  forwards  him 
a  statement  of  accounts,  223  ; 
letter  from  Nelson,  224 

Agamemnon,  the  Nelson  in  com- 
mand of,  42 ;  sails  from  Gibral- 
tar, 42;  meets  the  Tartar,  43;  in 
action  off  Sardinia,  47;  reported 
capture  of,  54 ;  captures  the 
Qa  Ira  and  Le  Censeiir,  57  ; 
goes  to  Leghorn  to  refit,  62  ; 
her  battered  condition,  62  ; 
rendered  famous  by  Nelson,  is 
sent  home,  63  ;  flies  signal  of 
distress  at  Copenhagen,  183 

Aggerstans,  the,  sunk  at  Copen- 
hagen, 195 

Agincourt,  the,  cruises  off  Tou- 
lon, 228 


Agincourt  Sound,  in  the  Magda- 
lena  Islands,  247 

Ajax,  the,  at  the  battle  of  Tra- 
falgar, 304 

Alava,  Vice-Admiral,  commands 
the  van  of  tlie  combined  fleet, 
274:  CoUingwood  goes  for  him, 
2S5 

Albemarle, \\\&  Nelson  commands, 
21  ;  arrival  of,  at  Elsineur,  21  ; 
paid  off,  27 

Albert,  Prince,  dies  at  sea,  130 

L'Alcide,  surrendered  and  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  60 

Alcmena,  the,  her  boats  at  the 
evacuation  of  Naples,  128 

Alexander,  the,  in  the  Gulf  of 
Lyons,  90  ;  sails  for  Naples, 
114  ;  reception  at  Naples,  116  ; 
at  the  blockade  of  Valetta,  125  ; 
at  Malta,  133  ;  in  the  action 
off  Valetta,  151  ;  Nelson's  flag- 
ship, 159 

Alexander  I.  sends  pacific  pro- 
posals, 201 

Alexandria,  Nelson  seeks  the 
French  fleet  at,  93  ;  arrives 
off,  96 

Alicante,  British  fleet  off,  249 

Allen,  Nelson's  servant,  insists 
on  his  taking  rest,  178 

Alliance,  a  defensive,  between 
Spain  and  the  French  Direc- 
tory, 63 

Allott,  Dr.,  Dean  of  Raphoe, 
letter  from  Nelson  to,  3  (note) 


337 


338 


Index. 


Amag  Island,  one  of  the  defences 
of  Copenhagen,  177 

Amazon,  the.  Nelson  on  board 
of,  176 ;  leads  the  fleet  at 
Copenhagen,  176  ;  prepares  to 
receive  Nelson,  209  ;  chases 
French  frigates,  238 

Amiens,  peace  of,  221 

Amphion,  the.  Nelson  shifts  his 
flag  to,  225  ;  a  fast  ship,  226  ; 
cruises  off  Toulon,  228  ;  inter- 
cepts the  Spanish  frigates,  245 

Ancona,  Russian  squadron  at,  160 

Andrews,  Miss,  Nelson  in  love 
with,  28 

Andromeda,  the,  Prince  William 
Henry  in  command  of,  41 

L'Aquilon  surrenders  at  battle 
of  the  Nile,  100 

Apulia  in  revolt,  133 

Archimedes,  the,  a  Neapolitan 
corvette,  129 

Armaments,  comparison  of  (Ap- 
pendix), 318  ;  table  of  (Appen- 
dix), 325 

Atidaciotts,  the,  in  the  advance 
at  Aboukir,  99  ;  off  Valetta,  151 

B 

^a^^r,  Nelson  commands  the,  17 

Ball,  Captain  Sir  Alexander,  with 

Nelson  at  St.  Omer,  29  ;  assists 

Nelson  in  tlie  (Julf  of  Lyons, 

90  ;  on  board  the   Van;^t(ard, 

91  ;  at  the  blockade  of  Valetta, 
125  ;  forces  Gozo  to  capitulate, 
125;  at  Malta,  133;  instruc- 
tions from  Nelson,  146  ;  ardu- 
ous duty,  147  ;  seizes  corn  at 
Messina,  148  ;  complains  of 
General  Pigott,  168  ;  Nelson's 
letter  to,  239 

Barbadoes,  Nelson  at,  31 
Barjleur,  the,  at  New  \'ork,  24 
Barrow,   Sir   John,  surprised   at 

Lord  St.  Vincent,  73 
Bastia,    Nelson's  report   on,   49  ; 
Lord   Hood  demands  the  sur- 
render of,  50  ;  capture  of,  51 


Bath,  Nelson  resides  at,  21;  Nel- 
son again  at,  37 

Batteries,  French  and  Spanish 
heavier  than  the  British(Appen- 
dix),  321  ;  comparison  between 
the  Santissima  Trinidad  and 
/7r/f;'j' (Appendix),  322 

Batthyany, Count, aquatic  fete,  160 

Beatty,  Dr.,  surgeon  in  the  Vic- 
tory, 269  ;  on  the  personal  hab- 
its of  Nelson,  270 ;  assists  Nel- 
son when  wounded,  292 

Beckford  entertains  Nelson,  166 

Belleisle,  the,  cruises  off  Toulon, 
228  ;  opposed  to  the  Toulon 
fleet,  229  ;  off  Hyeres,  238  ; 
left  off  Toulon,  243  ;  Nelson 
orders  her  masts  painted,  273 

BelleropJion,  the,  at  the  battle  of 
the  Nile,  104 

Bellona,  the,  with  Nelson  at  Co- 
penhagen, 179  ;  runs  aground, 
180  ;  flies  signal  of  distress,  183 

Bequieres,  island  of,  in  Aboukir 
Bay,  104 

Berry,  Lieutenant,  in  possession 
of  the  San  N^icolas,  71 

Berry,  SirKdward,  Nelson's  prac- 
tice during  the  cruise,  97 ; 
catches  Nelson  when  wounded, 
105  ;  tells  Nelson  U Orient  is 
on  fire,  107 ;  boards  Le  Ge'n/- 
reux,  153  ;  captures  Le  Ottil- 
ia u  me  Tell,  155 

Bethune,  Colonel,  on  board  the 
J\  fine  I've,  67 

Bickerton,  Rear-Admiral  Sir 
Richard,  Nelson  in  search  of, 
227  ;  Nelson  joins,  22S  ;  cruis- 
ing off  'I'oulon,  228 

Blackwood,  Captain,  commands 
the  Penelope,  156;  arrives  in 
London,  262  ;  calls  on  Nelson, 
263  ;  despatched  to  Colling- 
wood,  266;  sends  \\ord  to  Nel- 
son, 268  ;  exacting  duties,  268  ; 
letter  to  his  wife,  271  ;  Nel- 
son's remark  to,  279  ;  sugges- 
tions to  Nelson,  281  ;  witnesses 


Index. 


339 


Nelson's  will,  282  ;  leaves  the 

Victory,  286 
Blanche,    the,    accompanies    the 

Minerz't'  to  Porto  P'errajo,  64 
Blanquet,    Rear-Admiral,   disap- 
proves  of    Bruey's    plans,  96  ; 

wounded,       loi  ;      arrives     at 

Naples,  116 
Blenheim,  Nelson  visits,  220 
Blenheim,  the,  at  the  battle  of  St. 

Vincent,  70 
Bolton,  Mrs.,  presented  by  Nel- 
son with  a  gift  of  money,  141  ; 

money  voted  her  in  honor  of 

Trafalgar,  311 
Boreas,  the  Nelson  in  command 

of,  29  ;   midshipmen  on  board 

of,    30 ;      reaches    Barbadoes, 

31  ;  examination  in  the   cabin 

of,  32  ;  sails  for  England,  36  ; 

receiving  ship    at    the    Nore, 

36 
Bornholm,  Nelson  makes  his  last 

cruise  in  the  St.  George  oK,  204 
Boulogne,  the  central  rendezvous 

of    the    French    flotilla,    210; 

Nelson  repulsed  off,  211 
Box  Hill,  Nelson   and  party  at, 

208 
Breckon,    Nelson's  reception  at, 

220 
Brenton,   Captain,     7  ;    story    of 

Nelson,  155  ;  story  of  the  flag, 

192 
Brereton,  General,  false  informa- 
tion to  Nelson,  251  ;  Nelson's 

irritation  at,  252 
Brest,  English  ship  fired  at  from, 

42 
Briarly,  master   of    the  Bellona, 

offers    to   pilot    Nelson,    179  ; 

accompanies  Nelson,  199 
Brisbane,    Captain,  accompanies 

Nelson,  176 
Bristol,  the.  Nelson  appointed  to, 

17 
British,  the,  their  intrepidity,  196 
British  Navy,  mutinous  spirit  in, 

77 

22 


Brock,  Colonel  Isaac,  commands 
the  49lh  Regiment,  170 

liromwich.  Lieutenant,  with  Nel- 
s(m  at  the  Tower,  15 

Brueys,  Achniral,  insolently  ex- 
ultant, 95  ;  calls  a  council  of 
officers,  96  ;  killed,  loi 

Bueentaitre,  the.  La  Touche- 
Treville  dies  on  board  of,  240  ; 
flag-ship  of  Villeneuve,  244  ; 
fires  the  first  shot  at  the  /  'ictory, 
28 7  ;  raked  by  the  Victory,  289  ; 
effect  of  the  Victory's  guns,  290 

Budd,  Dr.,  44 

Bulkeley,  aide-de-camp  on  the 
Victory,    296 

Buonaparte,  arrives  off  Malta, 
124  ;  orders  flotilla  to  assemble 
at  Boulogne,  211  ;  contemplates 
war  while  negotiating  tlie  treaty 
of  Amiens,  221  ;  astonished  at 
the  promptitude  of  the  British, 
222  ;  intended  to  invade  Eng- 
land, 305 

Burke,  purser  of  the  Victory,  as- 
sists Nelson  wounded,  292 

Burnham  Thorpe,  birthplace  of 
Nelson,   i  ;  Nelson  retires  to, 

37 

C 

Cadiz,  bombardment  of,  78  ; 
British  fleet  off,  245  ;  strength 
of  the  combined  fleet  at,  268  ; 
provisions  growing  scarce  at, 
269  ;  blockaded,  269  ;  the  com- 
bined fleet  put  to  sea  from,  274 

Cagliari,  Nelson  at,  47 

f«  Ira,  the,  attacked  by  the  In- 
constant, 57  ;  captured  by  Nel- 
son in  the  Agamemnon,  57 

Calabria  in  revolt,  133 

Calais,  Lady  Hamilton  dies  at, 

313 
Calder,  Sir  Robert,  prevails  with 
Sir  John  Jervis  to  omit  Nelson's 
name  from  the  dispatch,  73  > 
news  of  his  action,  258  ;  de- 
feats Napoleon's  plan,  305 


340 


Index. 


Calvi,  attack  on,  53  ;  capture  of, 

54 
Campbell,  Nelson's  secretary  on 

th.e  V'angttard,  107 
Canada,      Lord      St.      Vincent's 

prophecy  respecting,    218 
Canopus^  the,  detached  from  Nel- 
son's fleet,   229  ;  with  Nelson 

off  Hyeres,  238 
Capel,  Lieutenant,  goes  on  board 

the   Jllinolattr,    106  ;    Nelson 

signs    his   commission   to   the 

Mu/ine,   107 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  posses- 
sion of,   ridiculed  by  Nelson, 

217 
Capri  hoists  Sicilian  colors,  132 
Capua  attacked  by   Troubridge, 

I43_ 
Captain,  the.  Nelson  in  command 

of,  63  ;  in  the  battle  of  Cape 

St.  Vincent,  70  ;  engaged  with 

nine   line-of-battle  ships,    71  ; 

captures  the  San  Nicolas,  71  ; 

captures  the  San  jfosef,  72 
Caracciolo,  Francesco,  history  of, 

137  ;  trial  of,  138  ;  execution, 

139;  therisingof  his  body,  140 
Carcass,  the  Arctic  voyage  of,  10  ; 

Nelson   as   coxswain    of,     10 ; 

returns  to  England,  10 
Carlisle  Bay  (Barbadoes),  Nelson 

arrives  at,    15  ;    Nelson   again 

at,    251 
Carlscrona,   British   fleet    cruises 

off,   201 
Carronades  (Appendix),  324 
Carthagena,  action  off,  64 
Castel-a-Mare  capitulates,  134 
Castel-del'Uovo  capitulates,  134 
Castel  \uovo  capitulates,  134 
Castel  San  Giovanni,  mishap  at, 

160 
Championet  holds  Naples,    132  ; 

succeeded  by  Macdonald,  133 
Charlotte- Amelia,    the,    burnt    at 

Copenhagen,  195 
Challiam,  Nelson  at,  5 
Chatliam,    Lord,   on  the  British 


Navy,  iS  ;  neglects  Nelson,  41  ; 
receives  news  of  Trafalgar  and 
of  Nelson's  death,  310 

Clarence,  Duke  of,  see  Prince 
William  Henry 

Clavell,  Lieutenant,  advised  by 
Collingvvood,  284 

Cochrane,  Lord,  impression  of 
Nelson,   154 

Coehorn  (Appendix),  323 

Coleridge,  in  defence  of  Captain 
Ball,  148  ;  affected  by  news  of 
Nelson's  death,  310 

Collingwood,  Lord  Cuthbert, 
compared  with  Nelson,  3  ;  first 
sea  experience,  7  ;  succeeds 
Nelson  in  the  Lonvstoffe,  17  ; 
averse  to  Mrs.  Moutray,  33  ; 
at  the  battle  of  St.  Vincent, 
73  ;  account  of  the  Queen  of 
Naples,  115  ;  on  Nelson's  re- 
ception at  Court,  162  ;  leads 
the  leeward  column  at  Trafal- 
gar, 2S3  ;  Smith's  account  of, 
283  ;  orders  part  of  the  prizes 
to  be  destroyed,  303  ;  his  Tra- 
falgar dispatch  published,  309  ; 
made  a  peer,  312  ;  his  services 
(note),  312 

Colossus,  the,  signals  that  the 
enemy's  fleet  is  at  sea,  273 

Comyn,  chaplain  on  the  Van- 
guard,   105 

Conqiicra)it,  Lr,  cut  up  at  battle 
of  the  Nile,  100 

Conway,  Lord  Hugh  Seymour, 
on  board  the  Tartar,  43 

Copenhagen,  fortifications  of, 
173  ;  tlie  British  fleet  off,  176  ; 
battle  of,  180  ;  damage  to,  195  ; 
results  of  the  battle  of,  207 

Cornwallis,  Cuba,  nurses  Nelson, 
20 

Cornwallis,  Admiral  .Sir  William, 
saves  Nelson's  life,  21  ;  instruc- 
tions from  the  Admiralty,  245  ; 
Nelson  joins,  257 

Corsica,  island  of,  necessary  to 
the  ]?ritish,  49  ;  coast  ravaged 


Index, 


34T 


by  Nelson,  49  ;  evacuation  of, 

Cotgrave,   Captain,    fails   in    the 

attack  off  Boulogne,  211 
Cronburg,  the,  taken  and  burnt, 

195 

Crown  battery,  the,  see  1  re- 
kroner 

Cruiser,  the,  with  Nelson  at 
Copenhagen,  176 

Culloden,  the,  hastens  to  Nelson's 
assistance,  70  ;  sails  for  Tene- 
riffe,  80  ;  goes  ashore  in  Abou- 
kir  Bay,  104  ;  floated  off,  108  ; 
sails  for  Naples,  114  ;  reception 
at  Naples,  116 

Culverhouse,  Lieutenant,  ex- 
changed, 66 

Cumberland,  the,  captures  L'Al- 
cide,  60 


D 


Bailing,  General,  Governor  of 
Jamaica,  appoints  Nelson  to 
command  batteries  at  Port 
Royal,  18 

Danes,  the,  courage  of,  196 ; 
brothers  of  the  English,  196  ; 
worthy  foes,  197 

Danish  fleet,  destruction  of,  at 
Copenhagen,  195 

Damiebrog,  the,  opposed  to  Nel- 
son at  Copenhagen,  180  ;  sur- 
rendered and  in  flames,  186; 
destruction  of,  189 

Darby,  Captain,  wounded  at 
battle  of  the  Nile,  104 

Davis,  Isaac,  possessed  Nelson's 
certificate  to  Carver,  23 

Davison,  Alexander,  intim.ate 
association  with  Nelson,  24  ; 
din-es  with  Nelson,  28  ;  strikes 
a  medal  in  honor  of  battle  of 
the  Nile,  113  ;  writes  to  Nel- 
son, 121 ;  instructed  by  Nelson 
regarding  Lady  Nelson,  165  ; 
instructions  to,  regarding  Mrs. 
Maurice    Nelson,    200  ;    Nel- 


son's letter  to,  threatening 
La  Touche-Treville,  239 

Deal,  Nelson  arrives  at,  210  ; 
Parker  buried  at,  213 

Decres,  Contre-Admiral,  surren- 
ders Zt'  Guillauine  Tell,   155 

Defence,  the,  hastens  the  sur- 
render of  the  Danish  sliips,  188 

Defiance,  the,  at  the  battle  of  Co- 
penhagen, 185  ;  aground, 189 

Denmark,  Lord  Whitworlh  de- 
spatched to  the  Court  of,  168  ; 
menacing  attitude  of,  169 ; 
agrees  to  an  armistice,  195 

Desirt'e,  the,  assists  to  save  the 
Isis,  182 

D'Estaing,  Count,  arrives  at  llis- 
paniola,  18 

De  Vins,  General,  59  ;  his  tardi- 
ness, 61 

Digby,  Admiral,  Nelson  waits 
on,  24 

Dixon,  Captain  Manley,  account 
of  capture  of  Le  Guillaume 
Tell,  155 

Dolphin,  Nelson  leaves  the  East 
Lidies  in  the,  12 

Donegal,  the,  cruises  off  Toulon, 
228  ;  with  Nelson  off  Hyeres, 
238  ;  intercepts  the  Spanish 
frigates,  245 

Draco  Point,  Nelson  anchors  off, 

177 

Drake,  Mr.,  British  Minister  at 
Genoa,  54 

Drury,  Admiral,  despatches  Cap- 
tain Blackwood  from  the  Irish 
station,  262 

Duckworth,  Admiral,  sent  to 
Minorca,  144 

Dumanoir  -  le  -  Pelley,  Admiral, 
succeeds  La  Touche-Treville, 
and  is  succeeded  by  Villeneuve, 
244  ;  commands  the  rear  of 
the  combined  fleet,  274  ;  flies 
from  Trafalgar,  301 

Dundas,  Sir  David,  doubts  the 
probability  of  the  fall  of  Bas- 
tia,  50 


342 


Index. 


E 


Ealing,  the,  assists  in  towing  the 
Zealand,  193 

East  India  Company  presents 
Nelson  with  ten  thousand 
pounds,   113 

Edgar,  the,  first  in  action  at 
Copenhagen,  180 

Elephant,  the,  the  signal  to  weigh 
from,  176;  Nelson  dines  the 
captains  onboard,  17S  ;  Nelson 
assembles  the  pilots  on  board, 
179 ;  in  the  battle  of  Co- 
penhagen, 180 ;  attacks  the 
Dannehrog,  180  ;  instance  of 
courage  on  board,  1S2  ;  sur- 
rounded by  the  enemy, 
183  ;  renews  the  attack  on 
the  Dannebrog,  186  ;  aground 
and  floated  off,  i8g  ;  Lady 
Hamilton's  pictures  on  board, 
191 

Elephanten,  the,  Nelson  on 
board,    192 

Elliot,  Sir  Gilbert,  appointed 
Viceroy  of  Corsica,  49  ;  occu- 
pies Porto  Ferrajo,  in  Elba, 
66  ;  embarks  with  Nelson,  66  ; 
arrives  at  Gibraltar,  66  ;  chased 
in  the  Miuerve,  67 

Elsineur,  Nelson  arrives  at,  2i  ; 
Admiral  Parker  off,  173 

Emerald,  the,  sails  for  Teneriffe, 
80 

England,  at  war  with  France  and 
S])ain,  17  ;  declares  war  with 
Prance,  221 

Epaulet,  the,  introduction  of,  in 
the  Pritish  Navy,  59 

Este  Lambton,  story  of  Nelson, 
242 

Esterhazy,  Prince  and  Princess, 
feast  Nelson,  160 

Euryalus,  the,  sent  to  Colling- 
wood,  266  ;  watches  the  enemy, 
268 

Excellent,  the,  with  Nelson  off 
Hy^res,  238 


Fanner,  Captain,  commands  the 

Sea  Horse,  11 
Faversham,  Nelson  halts  at,   210 
Fearney,  William,  on  board  the 

San  Josef,  72 
Featherstonehaugh,    Sir    Harry, 

45 

Ferguson,  surgeon  of  the  Ele- 
phant, 189 

Ferrol,  Spanish  force  collected 
at,  245  ;  blockaded  by  Admiral 
Cornwallis,  245 

Finisterre,  Cape,  the  combined 
squadron  reaches,  253 

Fischer,  Commodore,  commands 
the  Dannebrog,  180  ;  sums  up 
the  loss  of  the  Danes,  195 

Fisgard,  the,  left  off  Toulon,  243 

P'lorence,  the  Royal  ]:)artyat,  159 

Foley,  Captain,  Napier's  claim 
for,  97  ;  dines  on  board  the 
Elephant,  178  ;  consulted  by 
Nelson,    188 

Fonthill,  residence  of  Beckford, 
166  ;  reception  of  Nelson  at, 
167 

Foote,  Captain,  commands  the 
Sea  Horse,  133 ;  attacks  the 
sea  defences  of  Naples,  134  ; 
signs  terms  of  capitulation,  134 

Foreigners,  hated  by  Nelson,  115 

Foiidroyant,  the,  arrives  at 
Naples,  135  ;  Cardinal  Ruffo 
on  board,  135  ;  trial  of  Carac- 
ciolo  on  board,  138  ;  the  King 
of  Naples  dines  on  Ijoard, 
142  ;  Nelson  hoists  his  flag  on 
board,  150  ;  captures  I.e  Gnil- 
laiime  Tell,  155  ;  returns  to 
Palermo,  157;  Nelson's  quar- 
ters onboard,  158  ;  carries  the 
Royal  family  to  Leghorn,  158  ; 
sails  for  Minorca,  159 

Fouguetix,  the,  attemjits  to  pre- 
vent the  Roval  Sovereign  from 
lireaking  the  line,  285  ;  fires 
the    first    guns    at  Trafalgar, 


Index. 


34: 


285  ;  receives  the  broadside  of 
the  Royal  Sovereign,  285 

Fox,  the,  on  the  Teneriffe  ex- 
pedition, 80  ;  founders  at  Santa 
Cruz,  81 

France,  at  war  with  England,  17  ; 
peace  conchided  with,  27  ; 
senseof  treaty  with  Naples,  93  ; 
war  with,  imminent,  221 

Franklin,  the,  at  the  battle  of 
the  Nile,  loi  ;  recommences 
the  action,  104 

Frederick,  Captain,  hastens  in  the 
Blenheim  to  Nelson's  assist- 
ance, 70 

Fremantle,  Captain,  in  a  des- 
perate fight,  78  ;  dines  on 
board  the  Elephant,  178  ;  his 
orders  at  Copenhagen,  179 ; 
consulted  by  Nelson,  188  ;  ac- 
companies Nelson  to  visit  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Denmark,  194 

French,  the,  poor  sailors,  but 
fine  gunners,  98  ;  trapped  in 
Aboukir  Bay,  gg  ;  overwhelm- 
ingly defeated  at  battle  of  the 
Nile,   109  ;  defeated  in  Italy, 

133 
Freya,  the,  captured  by  a  British 
squadron,     168  ;     restored     to 
Denmark,   168 


G 


Ganges,  the,  at  the  battle  of 
Copenhagen,  181  ;  fouls  the 
Monarch,  188 

G^ne'reux,  Le,  escapes  from 
Aboukir  Bay,  105  ;  flag-ship 
of  Rear-Admiral  Perree,  150  ; 
surrenders  to  Nelson,  151 

Genoa,  Nelson  at,  54 

George  III.,  King  of  England, 
popularizes  the  navy,  18 

Gibraltar,  Nelson  at,  14  ;  Nel- 
son sails  from,  42  ;  the  Minerve 
arrives  at,  66  ;  Nelson  arrives 
at,  90 ;  Saumarez,  with  prizes 
from  Aboukir  Bay,  arrives  at, 


114;  the  Victory,  with  Lord 
Nelson's  body,  arrives  at,  307 

Gibraltar,  the,  cruises  of  Toulon, 
228 

Gibson,  Lieutenant,  commands 
the  Fox  at  Santa  Cruz,  81 

Glatlon,  the,  at  the  battle  of 
Copenhagen,  181  ;  renews  the 
attack  on  the  Dannebrog,  186 

Goliath,  the,  leads  the  way  at 
Aboukir,  99;  at  Malta,  133 

Goodall,  Admiral,  letter  to  Nel- 
son, 149 

Gordon,  Lord  William,  verses  to 
Lady  Hamilton,  208 

Gould,  Captain,  with  Captain 
Darby  on  the  Bellerophon,  104 

Gozo,  capitulates  to  Captain 
Ball,  125 

Gramme,  Admiral,  Nelson  dines 
witli,  2og 

Grand  Signior,  presents  from  the, 
and  from  his  mother,  to  Nel- 
son, 113 

Graves,  Rear-Admiral,  passes  the 
Elsineur  batteries,  173  ;  recon- 
noitres the  enemy,  173  ;  on 
board  the  Defiance  at  Copen- 
hagen, 1S5  ;  invested  by  Nel- 
son with  the  Order  of  the  Bath, 
204 

Gravina,  Admiral,  arrives  at 
Cadiz,  263  ;  commands  the 
first  reserve  squadron  of  the 
combined  fleet,  274  ;  flies  from 
Trafalgar,   301 

Great  Britain,  policy  of,  222 

Great  Courland  Bay,  Tobago, 
Nelson  arrives  at,  251 

Greenwich,  Nelson's  body  in 
public  state  at,  309 

Grenville,  Lord,  Nelson  demands 
an  inquiry  of,  6l 

Grevilie.Mr.  C.  F.,  gives  a  fete  in 
honour  of  Nelson.  221 

Greville,  Honourable  Charles,  45 

Grey,  Commissioner,  Nelson's 
body  received  on  board  his 
yacht,  308 


344 


Index. 


Guerrier,  Le,  dismasted  at  battle 

of  the  Nile,  lOO 
Guillatime  Tell,  Le,  escapes  from 

Aboukir   Bay,    105  ;    captured 

by  Sir  Edward  Berry,  155 
Guilleniard,     Sergeant      Robert, 

claims    to    liave  shot    Nelson, 

(Appendix)  332 
Guns    varieties    of,    (Appendix) 

324 

H 

Hajen,  the,  taken  and  burnt,  195 
Halcyon,  the,  intercepts  the  Span- 
ish frigates,  245 
Ilallowell,  Captain,  delighted 
with  Jervis,  69  ;  singular  gift 
to  Nelson,  no 
Hamburg,  Nelson  at,  161 
Hamilton,  Lady,  her  career,  44  ; 
her  appearance,  45 ;  her  meeting 
with  Nelson,  46  ;  intercession 
with  the  Court  of  Naples,  94  ; 
swoons  on  hearing  of  the  battle 
of  the  Nile,  113  ;  reception  of 
Nelson,  117;  celebrates  Nel- 
son's birthday,  120  ;  share  in 
the  evacuation  of  Naples,  128  ; 
in  the  voyage  to  Palermo,  130  ; 
interprets  for  Cardinal  Ruffe, 
136  ;  evil  influence  on  Nelson, 
147  ;  cause  of  tlie  separation  of 
Lord  and  Lady  Nelson,  163  ; 
Nelson's  letter  to,  190  ;  buys 
Merton  Place  for  Nelson,  212  ; 
at  the  bedside  of  her  dying 
husband,  224  ;  letter  from  Nel- 
son, 226  ;  advises  Nelson,  264  ; 
bids  Nelson  farewell,  265  ;  her 
claims  not  recognized,  312  ; 
death  of,  313 
Hamilton,  Sir  William,  Ikitish 
Minister  at  Naples,  43 ;  re- 
ceives Nelson,  44  ;  marries  his 
nephew's  mistress,  45  ;  ojiinion 
of  Admiral  Hotham,  56;  re- 
ceives Captain  Troubridge, 
94  ;  goes  to  meet  Nelson,  117  ; 
receives    Nelson    as   a  guest, 


iig  ;  on  the  voyage  to  Pal- 
ermo, 130;  interprets  for  Car- 
dinal Ruffo,  136  ;  succeeded 
by  Hon.  Arthur  Paget,  158; 
Nelson  resides  with,  208  ;  fond 
of  fishing,  208  ;  death  of,  224  ; 
character,  of  224 
Hammond's  Knowl,  the  Invinci- 
ble lost  on,  170 
Hanson,  Levett,  letter  to  Nel- 
son, 4 
Hardy,  Captain,  reports  on  the 
French  fleet,  93;  commissioned 
to  the  Vanguard,  107  ;  com- 
mands boats  at  the  evacuation 
of  Naples,  128  ;  preserves  Car- 
acciolo  from  insult,  138  ;  re- 
ceives present  from  the  King 
of  Naples,  142  ;  his  daring, 
177  ;  dines  with  Nelson,  178  ; 
accompanies  Nelson  to  visit 
the  Prince  of  Denmark,  194  ; 
Nelson's  second  captain,  22S  ; 
witnesses  Nelson's  will,  282  ; 
drives  the  Victory  into  the 
Redoutable,  290 ;  at  Nelson's 
side  when  he  was  wounded, 
291  ;  on  the  deck  of  the  Vic- 
tory, 294  ;  Nelson's  anxiety  for, 
295  ;  visits  Nelson  in  the 
cockpit  of  the  /  'ictory,  296  ; 
again  reports  to  Nelson,  297  ; 
at  Nelson's  side,  298 
Hardy,  Lieutenant,  exchanged, 
66  ;  rescued  by  the  Minerve, 
68 
Harmony,  the,  anecdote  of,  23 
Haverford,  West,  Nelson  at,  221 
Hawkesbury,     Lord,     signs    the 

preliminaries  of  peace,    221 
Haydn,  meets  Nelson,  160 
Herbert,  Mr.,  President  of  Nevis, 

34 

IJ Ileureux  at  the  battle  of  the 
Nile,  100 

Hill  attempts  to  blackmail  Nel- 
son. 214 

Hinchinbrook,  Nelson  commands 
the,  18 


Index, 


345 


Holland,  Great  Britain  declares 
war  against,  244 

Holsiein,  the,  a  Danish  ship,  at 
the  battle  of  Copenhagen,  182  ; 
story  of,  by  Brenton,  192 

Hood,  Captain  Samuel,  signals 
the  French  fleet,  96  ;  quoted 
by  Napier,  97  ;  pursues  the 
French,   105 

Hood,  Lord,  at  New  York,  24  ; 
at  interview  between  Digby 
and  Nelson,  24  ;  presents  Nel- 
son to  the  King,  27  ;  sails  from 
Gibraltar,  42  ;  receives  the 
surrender  of  Toulon,  43  ;  de- 
spatches Nelson  under  sealed 
orders,  47 ;  Nelson's  opinion 
of,  48  ;  summons  Bastia  to  sur- 
render, 50  ;  neglects  Nelson  in 
his  dispatches,  51  ;  remon- 
strates with  the  Admiralty, 
59  ;  resigns  his  command,  59  ; 
introduces  Nelson  to  House  of 
Lords,  217 

Hoste,  William,  opinion  of  Nel- 
son, 47  ;  on  the  Neapolitan 
army,  127 

Hotham,  Admiral,  48  ;  receives 
news  of  the  French  fleet,  55  ; 
prepares  for  action,  55  ;  Sir 
William  Hamilton's  opinion 
of,  55  ;  chases  the  French,  57  ; 
action  with  the  French,  60 

Howe,  Lord,  applied  to  by  Nel- 
son for  a  ship,  36  ;  encourages 
Nelson,  37 

Huen,  island  of,  the  British  fleet 
anchor  near  the,  173 

Hughes,  Admiral  Sir  Richard, 
sends  Nelson  home,  12  ;  indif- 
ference to  Navigation  Act,  31  ; 
accepts  thanks  due  Nelson,  33 

Hughes,  Lady,  sails  with  Nelson 
on  the  Boreas,  29 

Hunter,  Mrs.,  buries  Lady  Ham- 
ilton, 313 

Hydra,  the,  watches  the  enemy, 
268 

Hyeres,  Nelson  off,  238 


Inconstant ,  the,  fires  into  the  (^a- 
I'-a,  57 

Indosforethcn,  the,  burnt  at  Co- 
penhagen, 195 

Inglefield,  Commissioner,  letter 
from  Nelson  to,  154 

Invincible,  the,  loss  of,  170 

Irresistible,  Nelson  on  board  of 
the,  77 

Ischia,  Troubridge  hoists  the 
Sicilian   colors   on,    132 

Isis,  the,  in  the  battle  of  Copen- 
hagen, 180;  saved  by  the 
Polyphejjtiis,   182 

Italians,  dislike  of,  115 


Jaubert,  Commissary,  defies  the 
British,  95 

Jeaffreson,  J.  C,  opinion  of  Mer- 
ton  Place,  212 

yean  Barras,  the,  pursued  by 
Admiral  Hotham's  fleet,   57 

Jefferson,  surgeon  on  the  Van- 
guard, attends  Nelson,  105 

Jervis,  John,  Earl  of  St.  Vincent, 
reception  on  shipboard,  7 ;  his 
sea  dress,  25  ;  anecdote  of,  25  ; 
neglected  by  the  Admiralty, 
39  ;  arrives  at  St.  Fiorenzo,  62  ; 
meets  the  Spanish  fleet,  6g ; 
prepares  for  action,  69  ;  battle 
of  St,  Vincent,  70 ;  anecdote 
of,  74  ;  gives  Nelson  the  Span- 
ish admiral's  sword,  77  ;  joined 
by  Nelson  off  Cadiz,  89  ;  chal- 
lenged by  Sir  John  Orde,  91  ; 
detaches  Portuguese  squadron 
to  Nelson's  assistance,  114  ;  in 
ill-health,  143  ;  affronted,  144  ; 
opinion  of  Sir  Sidney  Smith, 
146 ;  fears  for  Nelson,  167  ; 
prophecy  respecting  Canada, 
218  ;  grief  at  Nelson's  death, 
310 


346 


Index. 


Jones,  Captain,  fails  in  the  attack 

off  Boulogne,  211 
yuihmd,  the,   taken  and  burnt, 

195 


Keats,  Admiral  Sir  Richard, 
visits  Nelson,  261 

Keith,  Lord,  opinion  of  Nelson's 
zeal,  131  ;  sends  for  Nelson, 
143  ;  Commander-in-chief  in 
the  IVIediterranean,  150 ;  orders 
to  Nelson,  157 

Kelim  Effendi  sent  with  present 
to  Nelson,  128 

Kent,  the,  Bickerton's  flag-ship, 
227  ;  cruises  off  Toulon,  228  ; 
opposed  to  the  Toulon  fleet, 
229 

King  George,  speech  of,  Novem- 
ber 16,  1802,  222 

King  George,  the,  carries  Nelson 
to  Yarmouth,  161 

Kioge  Bay,  the  British  fleet  at, 
201 

Kite,  the,  carries  Nelson  to  Yar- 
mouth, 208 

Klopstock  visited  by  Nelson,  161 

Knight,  Miss,  Nelson's  inner  life, 
158  ;  follows  the  Queen  of 
Naples,  159  ;  account  of  the 
trouble  between  Lord  and  Lady 
Nelson,  164 

Kronenburg,  castle  of,  saluted, 
22  ;  incident  off,  174 


Lagos  Bay,  Nelson  provisions  his 

fleet  at,  250 
Lark,    the,    used   by    Nelson    at 

Copenhagen,  173 
iMtona,  the.   Nelson  hauls  down 

her  broad  pennant,  31 
Laun'ston,    (jeneral,    commands 

the     troops     in     Villeneuve's 

squadron,  247 
Leander,  the,  sails  for  Tenerifle, 


80 ;  joins  Nelson,  91  ;  at  the 
battle  of  the  Nile,  loi  ;  re- 
ceives the  survivors  of  JO  Orient, 
102 

Leeward  Islands,  Sir  Thomas 
Shirley  governor  of  the,  31 

Leghorn  Roads,  Nelson  joins 
Lord  Keith  in  the,  150 

Leghorn,  the  Aganiemtion  goes 
to,  to  refit,  62  ;  insurrection  of 
the  people  at,  159 

Leopold,  Prince,  entertains  Nel- 
son, 142 

Leyden,  the.  Nelson  hoists  his 
flag  on  board,  210 

Lindholm,  Adjutant-General,  ar- 
rives with  flag  of  truce,  188  ; 
referred  to  Admiral  Parker,  188 

Linzee,  Commodore,  Nelson 
serves  under,  47 

Lion,  Nelson  sails  for  England  in 
the,  21  ;  chases  Z^  Guillaume 
Tell,  156 

Lively,  the,  spoken,  68  ;  at  the 
battle  of  St.  Vincent,  70 

Locker,  William,  commands  the 
Lowestoffe,  14  ;  kindness  to 
Nelson,  14  ;  letter  from  Nel- 
son, 32 

London,  City  of,  confers  freedom 
on  Nelson,  88  ;  Nelson  arrives 
at,  162  ;  Nelson  met  by  a  party 
of  relatives  and  friends  at,  208 

London,  the.  Sir  Hyde  Parker's 
flag-ship,  170  ;  flies  signal  to 
cease  action  at  Copenhagen, 
183  ;  Nelson  follows  Lindholm 
on  board,  189 

Louis,  Captain,  assists  Nelson  at 
battle  of  the  Nile,  106;  thanked 
by  Nelson,  106  ;  commands  the 
Canoptis,  lbl 

L.owestoffe,  Nelson  appointed 
Second  Lieutenant  of  the,  14  ; 
Collingwood  succeeds  Nelson 
in  the,  17 

Ludwidge,  Skeffington,  com- 
mands the  Carcass,  10  ;  enter- 
tains Nelson,  210 


Index. 


347 


Lyons,  Gulf  of,  Nelson  nearly 
founders  in  the,  90  ;  notorious 
for  its  gales,  232 

M 

Macdonald  succeeds  Championet, 

133 

Mack,  General,  commands  the 
Sicilian  army,  127 

Macnamara,  Captain,  accompa- 
nies Nelson  to  France,  28 

Magdalena  Islands,  Nelson  waters 
his  fleet  at,  231 

Magon,  Rear- Admiral,  commands 
the  second  reserve  squadron  of 
the  combined  fleet,  274 

Malta,  Nelson  sails  for,  92  ;  Or- 
der of  St.  John  at,  annulled 
by  French  Government,  124  ; 
French  fleet  arrives  off,  124  ; 
in  possession  of  the  French, 
125  ;  insurrection  at,  sup- 
pressed, 125  ;  Nelson  at,  227 

Manby,  Captain,  anecdote  of 
Nelson,  4 

Marguerite,  isle  of,  French  fleet 
seen  off,  55 

Marlborough,  Duke  of,  declines 
to  receive  Nelson  and  party, 
220 

Mars,  the,  a  Liverpool  privateer, 
256 

Martin,  Captain,  receives  sur- 
render of  Malta,  168 

Matcham,  Mrs.,  presented  with 
money,  141  ;  money  voted  her 
in  honour  of  Trafalgar,  311 

Mazari  Bay,  Nelson  refi';s  at,  249 

Mediterranean,  the,  hunted  for 
the  French  fleet,  93 

Medusa,  the.  Nelson  hoists  his 
flag  on  board,  210  ;  intercepts 
the  Spanish  frigates,  245 

Melpomene,  the,  disabled  by  the 
Agamemnon,  47 

Melville,  Lord,  Nelson's  letter 
to,  207 

Merton  Place,  bought  by  Lady 


Hamilton  for  Nelson,  212  ; 
first  visited  by  Nelson,  217  ; 
his  brief  holiday  at,  257 

Messina,  Captain  Ball  seizes  corn 
at,  148 

Middle  Ground,  the,  in  Copen- 
hagen Harbour,  179 

Milford,  Nelson's  reception  at, 
220 

Miller,  Captain,  reinforces  Nel- 
son at  the  battle  of  St.  Vincent, 
72  ;  affection  of  the  crew  for,  77 

Alinerva,  the,  a  Neapolitan  frig- 
ate, 138 

yI//««'^'^,  the.  Nelson  proceeds  in, 
to  Porto  Ferrajo,  64  ;  arrives 
at  Gibraltar,  66  ;  chased  by  the 
Spanish,  67  ;  in  the  midst  of 
the  Spanish  fleet,  68 

Jllinotaiir,  the,  hailed  from  the 
Vanguard,  105  ;  assists  Nelson 
at  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  106 

Monarch,  the,  at  the  battle  of 
Copenhagen,  181  ;  in  peril, 
182  ;  grounds  and  is  floated 
off,  188 

Monmouth,  the,  cruises  off  Tou- 
lon, 22S  ;  detached  from  Nel- 
son's fleet,  229 

Morrison,  extraordinary  efforts 
to  equip  the  Vanguard,  91 

Moutray,  Mrs.,  admired  by  Nel- 
son, 33 

Moutray,  Resident  Commis- 
sioner,  31 

Murray,  Captain  George,  com- 
mands British  fleet  off  Carls- 
crona,  201  ;  Nelson's  first 
captain,  228 

MiUlne,  the.  Nelson  signs  Capel's 
commission  to,  107 


N 


Naiad,  the,  the  hour  of  Nelson's 
famous  signal  by  her  log,  282 

Napier,  General  Sir  Charles,  his 
preposterous  claim  for  Captain. 
Foley,  97 


34S 


Index. 


Naples,  Nelson  at,  43  ;  sense  of 
treaty  with  France,  93  ;  the 
Court  of,  abhorred  by  Trou- 
bridge,  115  ;  the  Queen  of,  de- 
nounced by  CoUingwood,  115  ; 
excitement  at,  116  ;  Nelson's 
reception  at,  117  ;  Kingdom 
of,  described  by  Southey,  122  ; 
the  King  of,  on  board  the  Van- 
guard, 126  ;  the  King  of,  enters 
Rome  and  returns  to  Naples, 
127  ;  flight  of  the  Royal  Family 
of,  128  ;  voyage  of  the  Royal 
Family  to  Palermo,  129  ;  des- 
perate slaughter  at,  132  ;  held 
by  Championet's  troops,  132  ; 
a  provisional  government  es- 
tablished at,  132  ;  blockaded 
by  Captain  Foote,  133 

Naval  -warfare,  changes  in, 
(Appendix)    317 

Navigation  laws  neglected  by 
Sir  Richard  Hughes  and  en- 
forced by  Nelson,  31 

Navy,  contrast  between  that  of 
the  time  of  Nelson  and  that  of 
to-day,  (Appendix)  333 

Nelson,  Earl,  see  Reverend 
William  Nelson 

Nelson,  Horatio,  birth,  i  ;  pa- 
rents, 2  ;  education  3  ;  goes  to 
sea,  5  ;  voyage  to  West  Indies, 
8  ;  returns  a  sailor,  9  ;  a  Polar 
voyage,  10  ;  promoted  to  mid- 
shipman, II  ;  East  Indian  voy- 
age II  :  severe  illness,  10  ; 
despondency,  12  ;  appointed 
lieutenant,  14  ;  ill-health,  15  ; 
boards  a  prize.  16  ;  ^\'est  In- 
dian experiences,  16  ;  pro- 
moted to  Commander,  17  ; 
made  Post-Captain,  18  ;  on  the 
Mosquito  Coast,  19 ;  com- 
mands the  Janus,  20 ;  at 
Bath,  21  ;  a  Baltic  cruise,  21  ; 
sails  for  North  America,  22  ; 
behaviour  to  Carver,  23  ;  meets 
the  Duke  of  Clarence,  25  ;  on 
half-pay,  27  ;  presented  at  St, 


James's,  27;  journey  to  France, 

28  ;  appointed  to  the  Boreas, 

29  ;  treatment  of  midshipmen, 

30  ;  arrives  at  Barbadoes,  31  ; 
enforces    the    Navigation  Act, 

31  ;  quarrel  with  Sir  Thomas 
Shirley,  31  ;  affair  at  Nevis, 
32;  "meets  his  fate,"  34; 
marries  Mrs.  Nisbet,  35  ;  ar- 
rives in  England,  36  ;  neglected 
by  the  Admiralty,  36  ;  resolu- 
tion to  resign,  37  ;  his  loyalty 
reanimated,  37  ;  continued  ill- 
health,  37  ;  long  period  of 
neglect,  39  ;  country  pursuits, 
40  ;  resolves  to  leave  the 
country,  41  ;  applies  for  a 
cockle-boat,  41  ;  appointed  to 
the  Agatnemnon,  42  ;  sails  from 
Gibraltar,  42  ;  at  tlie  surrender 
of  Toulon,  43  ;  sent  to  Naples 
with  dispatches,  43  ;  intro- 
duced at  the  Court  of  Naples, 
44  ;  meets  Lady  Hamilton,  44  ; 
rejoins  the  fleet,  47  ;  action  off 
Sardinia,  47  ;  in  command  of 
a  squadron,  48  ;  on  the  coast 
of  Corsica,  49  ;  urges  an  attack 
on  Bastia,  50  ;  captures  Bastia, 
51 ;  attacks  Calvi,  53  ;  wounded 
in  the  eye.  54  ;  captures  Calvi, 

54  ;  reception  at  Genoa,  54  ; 
love  for  the  Agaiiieuinon,  55  ; 
longings  for  a  country  home, 

55  ;  money  losses,  55  ;  action 
with  the  French  fleet,  57  ;  cap- 
tures the  Qi  Ira  and  Le 
Ceiisettr,  57  ;  advises  Admiral 
Hotham,  58  ;  returns  to  St. 
Fiorenzo,  58  ;  made  Colonel  of 
Marines,  59  ;  ordered  to  co- 
operate with  General  de  Vins, 

59  ;  chased  by  the  French  fleet, 

60  ;  disgust  at  the  Austrians, 

61  ;  an  indignant  demand,  61  ; 
offered    a   seat  in   Parliament, 

62  ;  his  numerous  jierform- 
ances,  62  ;  Insists  liis  Commo- 
dore's pennant  on  the  Captain, 


Index. 


349 


Nelson  {continued^. 

63  ;  superintends  the  evacua- 
tion of  Corsica,  63  ;  proceeds 
to  Porto  Ferrajo  in  the 
Miner ve,  64  ;  captures  the 
Santa  Sabina,  65  ;  arrives  at 
Gibraltar,  66  ;  sails  to  join 
Jervis,  67 ;  chased  by  the 
Spanish,  67  ;  will  not  lose 
Hardy,  67  ;  sails  through  tlie 
Spanish  fleet,  68  ;  resumes 
command  of  the  Captain,  68  ; 
at  the  battle  of  St.  Vincent, 
70  ;  frustrates  the  Spaniards' 
plan,  70 ;  attacks  the  four- 
decker,  70  ;  the  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  battle,  70 ;  en- 
gages nine  line-of-battle  ships 
at  once,  71  ;  captures  the  San 
Nicolas,  71  ;  captures  the  San 
ypsef,  72  ;  cheered  by  the 
fleet,  72  ;  not  named  in 
the  Admiral's  dispatch,  73  ; 
knighted,  and  promoted  to  Ad- 
miral, 76 ;  affection  of  his 
crew,  77  ;  at  the  bombardment 
of  Cadiz,  78  ;  sails  for  Ten- 
eriffe,  80  ;  attacks  Santa  Cruz, 
81  ;  wounded,  81  ;  his  great 
endurance,  82  ;  loses  his  arm, 
83  ;  failure  of  the  expedition, 
83  ;  return  home,  84  ;  nursed 
by  Lady  Nelson,  85  ;  anecdote 
of,  86  ;  complains  of  his  wife, 
87  ;  his  memorial,  88  ;  ap- 
pointed to  the  Vanguard,  89  ; 
arrives  at  Gibraltar,  90  ;  in 
great  peril,  91  ;  remonstrances 
against  his  command,  92  ;  at 
Syracuse,  95  ;  finds  the  French 
fleet,  96;  instructions  to  his 
commanders,  97  ;  his  tactics, 
99  ;  battle  of  the  Nile,  100 ; 
burning  of  L' Orient,  loi  ; 
n OrienthXawi  up,  102  ;  victory 
of  the  English,  105  ;  Nel- 
son wounded,  106  ;  his  rest- 
lessness, 107  ;  his  thanksgiving 
for  victory,  108  ;  receives  a  sin- 


gular gift,  III  ;  made  a  Baron, 

112  ;    honours    and    presents, 

113  ;  arrives  at  Gibraltar  with 
his  jirizes,  I14;  dislike  of  the 
Italians,  115  ;  reception  at 
Naples,  117  ;  at  the  Hamiltons' 
home,  119  ;  celebration  of  his 
birthday,  I20  ;  and  the  King 
of  Naples,  123 ;  instructions 
from  the  Admiralty,  124  ;  let- 
ter to  the  commander  of  Va- 
letta,  125  ;  indignant  at  the 
Sicilian  Government,  126  ;  dis- 
trust of  General  Mack,  127  ; 
directs  the  evacuation  of 
Naples,  128  ;  sails  for  Palermo, 
129  ;  attends  the  Royal  Family 
on  shore,  130;  Mediterranean 
experiences,  131  ;  assists  in  the 
defences  of  Palermo,  132  ; 
sails  for  a  cruise,  133  ;  sails 
into  Naples,  133  ;  annuls  the 
truce,  134 ;  interview  with 
Cardinal  Ruffo,  135  ;  orders 
the  execution  of  Caracciolo, 
138  ;  refuses  to  interfere  in 
Caracciolo's  behalf ,  139;  orders 
the  body  of  Caracciolo  towed 
ashore,  140 ;  generosity  to  his 
family,  141  ;  feted,  142  ;  re- 
fuses to  obey  Lord  Keith's 
orders,  143  ;  sends  ships  to 
Minorca,  144  ;  his  conduct  dis- 
approved by  the  Admiralty, 
144  ;  irritated  and  indignant, 
144  ;  provoked  by  Sir  Sidney 
Smith,  145  ;  alters  opinion  of 
Sir  Sidney  Smith,  146 ;  con- 
cern for  the  feelings  of  the 
Court  of  Naples,  146  ;  bad  in- 
fluence of  Lady  Hamilton  and 
the  Queen  of  Naples,  147  ;  his 
bad  health,  148  ;  joins  Lord 
Keith,  150  ;  falls  in  with 
a  French  squadron,  150  ;  at 
the  capture  of  Le  Ge'n^rcux,  151; 
sends  a  flag  to  Leopold,  153  ; 
in  command  of  squadron  off 
Valetta,  153;  health  exhausted, 


350 


Index. 


Nelson  {continued). 

154  ;  meets  Lord  Cochrane, 
154;  anecdote  of,  155;  satis- 
faction at  capture  of  Le  Giiil- 
launie  Tell,  156;  sails  for 
Syracuse,  157  ;  strikes  his  flag, 
157;  his  quarters  on  the  i'^'^- 
ilroyani,  15S  ;  accompanies  the 
Royal     Family      to      Vienna, 

159  ;    unpleasant    adventures, 

160  ;  incident  at  Prague,  161  ; 
arrives  at  Yarmouth,  161  ;  at 
London,  162  ;  cool  reception  at 
Court,  162  ;  unhappy  married 
life,  163  ;  separates  from  Lady 
Nelson,  163  ;  final  interview 
with  his  wife,  164  ;  honours  in 
England,  166  ;  health  bene- 
fited, 167  ;  commands  the  St. 
George,  170  ;  poor  condition  of 
the  St.  Geo>-ge,  170  ;  conversa- 
tion with  Davison,  171  ;  hoists 
his  flag  on  the  Elephant,  172  ; 
passes  through  the  Sound,  173  ; 
reconnoitres  the  enemy,  173  ; 
astonished  at  their  prepara- 
tions, 174  ;  offers  his  services, 
and  is  accepted,  175  ;  his  ex- 
citement, 175  ;  marks  out  the 
channel,  176  ;  the  force  under 
his  command,  176  ;  anchors  off 
Draco  Point,  177  ;  his  incessant 
labors,  178  ;  his  sleeplessness 
and  impatience,  179;  signals 
for  close  action,  180  ;  opposed 
to  the  Dannebrog,  180 ;  in  the 
battle  of  Copenhagen,  183 ; 
anecdote  of,  1S4  ;  does  not 
see  the  signal  to  cease  fighting, 
185  ;  sends  a  flag  of  truce 
ashore,  187  ;  anecdote  of  the 
sealing-wax,  187;  follows  Lind- 
holm  to  the  London,  189  ;  de- 
pression of  spirits,  189  ;  letter 
to  Lady  Hamilton,  190  ;  verses 
to  his  guardian  angel,  190  ;  re- 
turns to  the  Elephant,  192  ; 
visits  the  prize,  192  ;  visits  the 
Prince     of     Denmark,      194  ; 


dines  with  Crown  Prince,  195  ; 
his  genius  at  Copenhagen,  196  ; 
in  pursuit  of  Parker,  199 ; 
sickness  brought  on  by  ex- 
posure, 200 ;  instructs  Davison 
to  assist  Mrs.  Maurice  Nelson, 
201  ;  in  command  in  the  Baltic, 
201 ;  at  Revel  Roads,  201  ; 
correspondence  with  St.  Peters- 
burg, 202  ;  personal  habits, 
203  ;  reception  at  Rostock, 
203  ;  invests  Graves  with  the 
Order  of  the  Bath,  204  ;  cre- 
ated a  Viscount,  204  ;  disap- 
pointed at  his  reward,  207  ; 
bitter  vexation  that  no  medals 
were  given  for  battle  of  Copen- 
hagen, 207 ;  arrives  at  Yar- 
mouth, 208  ;  at  London  208  ; 
his  holiday,  208  ;  appointed 
Commander-in-chief,  209  ;  re- 
ception at  Sheerness,  210;  hoists 
his  flag  on  the  Medusa,  210; 
bombards  the  French  flotilla, 
211  ;  failure  of  attempt  to 
destroy  French  flotilla,  211  ; 
buys  Merton  Place,  212  ;  grief 
at  the  death  of  Parker,  213  ; 
buries  Parker  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, 213  ;  attempt  to  black- 
mail, 214  ;  angry  at  Trou- 
bridge,  215  ;  cause  of  his 
irritability,  216  ;  visits  Merton, 
217  ;  takes  his  seat  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  217  ;  relations 
M'ith  Lady  Hamilton,  218  ; 
loyalty  to  his  comrades,  219; 
journey  to  Wales,  220  ;  a  royal 
progress,  221  ;  seconds  the  ad- 
dress, 222  ;  his  pecuniary  af- 
fairs, 223  ;  attends  a  debate 
in  tlie  House  of  Lords,  223  ; 
grief  at  the  death  of  Sir  Will- 
iam Hamilton,  224;  appointed 
Commander-in-chief  on  the 
Mediterranean  station,  225  ; 
hoists  his  flag  on  board  the 
Victory,  225  ;  sails  from  Spit- 
head,    225  ;  shifts   his   flag  to 


Index, 


351 


Nelson  {continued^. 

the  Aniphion,  225  ;  quick  run 
from  off  Lisbon  to  Gibraltar, 
226  ;  at  Naples,  227  ;  anxious 
to  preserve  the  two  Sicilies  and 
the  Royal  Family,  227  ;  joins 
Sir  Richard  Bickerton,  228  ; 
movements  while  blockading 
Toulon,  229  ;  off  for  the  Mai;- 
dalena  Islands,  231;  opinion  of 
his  fleet  ;  231  ;  failing  eyesight, 
232  ;  Scott's  recollections  of, 
235  ;  the  French  fleet  make  a 
demonstration,  238  ;  resent- 
ment against  La  Touche-Tre- 
ville,  239  ;  denies  the  blockade 
of  Toulon,  241 ;  desire  to  return 
to  England,  241;  story  illustrat- 
ing the  character  of,  242  ;  dif- 
ficulty in  holding  his  station, 
243  ;  in  the  Gulf  of  Palmas, 
243  ;  again  off  Toulon,  244  ; 
receives  a  secret  Admiralty 
letter,  244 ;  ignorant  of  war 
with  Spain,  245  ;  a  great  wrong 
to,   246  ;  in  Agincourt  Sound, 

247  ;  his  force,  247  ;  notified 
of  the  sailing  of  the  French 
fleet,  247  ;  a  striking  picture, 

248  ;  scours  the  Mediterranean 
for  the  French  fleet,  248  ;  sails 
for  the  West  Indies,  250  ; 
orders  regarding  rations,  251  ; 
arrives  at  Barbadoes,  251  ;  irri- 
tation at  Brereton's  false  infor- 
mation, 251  ;  pursues  the 
French  fleet  back  to  Europe, 
252  ;  slow  progress,  253  ;  ar- 
rives at  Gibraltar,  253  ;  two 
years  on  board  the  Victory, 
254  ;  an  explanation,  255  ; 
arrives  in  England,  257  ;  meets 
the  Duke  of  Wellington,  258  ; 
last  interview  with  George  III., 
259 ;  resolves  on  his  manceu- 
vres,  260  ;  Lord  Sidmouth's 
table,  261  ;  explains  his  plans 
to  Keats,  262  ;  receives  news 
of  the  French  fleet,   263  ;  re- 


solves to  offer  his  services,  264  ; 
farewell  to  Merton,  265  ;  ar- 
rival at  Portsmouth,  266  ;  an 
affecting  scene,  266;  despatches 
Blackwood  to  Lord  Colling- 
wood,  266  ;  reception  by  the 
fleet,  267  ;  the  "  Nelson 
touch,"  267  ;  force  under  his 
command,  267  ;  plan  to  draw 
out  the  enemy,  268  ;  presenti- 
ment of  death,  269  ;  chooses  a 
burial-place,  270  ;  an  affable 
host,  270  ;  letter-writing,  272  ; 
instance  of  his  prevision,  273  ; 
excellent  arrangements,  275  ; 
approach  of  his  fleet,  277  ;  on 
deck,  278  ;  signals  for  the  cap- 
tains to  come  on  board,  279  ; 
his  prayer,  280  ;  declines 
Blackwood's  suggestions,  281  ; 
leads  the  column,  282  ;  famous 
signal,  282  ;  farewell  to  Black- 
wood, 286  ;  seeks  the  French 
admiral,  287  ;  indifference  to 
personal  risk,  288  ;  "  Warm 
work,  Hardy  ! "  289  ;  in  the 
thick  of  the  fight,  290  ; 
wounded,  291  ;  carried  below, 
291  ;  suffering,  295  ;  "  Kiss 
me.  Hardy,"  298  ;  dead,  299  ; 
his  body  placed  in  a  cask  of 
brandy,  307  ;  coffined  and  taken 
from  the  Victory,  308  ;  honours 
paid  to  Nelson's  body,  309  ; 
how  England  received  the  news 
of  Trafalgar  and  of  Nelson's 
death,  309  ;  grief  of  the  Earl 
of  St.  Vincent,  310  ;  honours 
and  emoluments  to  his  family, 
311  ;  his  funeral,  313  ;  his 
character,  314 
Nelson's  Island,  in  Aboukir  Bay, 

114 
Nelson,  Maurice,  death  of,  200 
Nelson,  Mrs.,  on  boarding  (note), 
72  ;  nurses  her  husband,  85  ; 
uneasiness  regarding  her  hus- 
band, 121  ;  dislike  of  Lady 
Hamilton,  162  ;  unhappy  life, 


352 


Index. 


163  ;  quarrel  with  Nelson,  163  ; 
separation,  164 

Nelson,  Mrs.  Maurice,  blind  and 
cripple,  200  ;  Nelson's  letter 
to,   201 

Nelson,  Rev.  Edmund,  rector  of 
Hurnham  Thorpe,  I  ;  Captain 
Suckling's  reply  to,  5  ;  death 
of,  219 

Nelson,  Rev.  William,  intercedes 
for  Horatio,  5  ;  returns  to 
school  with  his  brother,  5  ; 
letter  from  Horatio,  29  ;  sails 
with  Horatio  on  the  Boreas, 
29  ;  Nelson's  opinion  of,  205  ; 
letter  to  Lady  Hamilton,  206  ; 
meets  Nelson  in  London,  208  ; 
created  an  Earl  and  granted  a 
pension,  311 

"Nelson  touch,"  the,  267 

Neptime,  the,  a  French  liner, 
229  ;  supports  the  Bucenlaure, 
290 

Neptune,  the,  with  Nelson  at 
Trafalgar,  303  ;  tows  the  Vic- 
tory to  Gibraltar,  307 

Nevis,  difficulty  at,  32 ;  Nelson 
married  at,  35 

New  York,  Nelson  at,  24 

Nicholas,  Sir  Harris,  on  Nelson's 
letter,  42  ;  on  Nelson's  irrita- 
bility, 216 

Niger,  the,  off  Toulon,  243 

Nile,  battle  of  the,  100  ;  a  deci- 
sive British  victory,  109  ;  com- 
parative strength  of  British  and 
French  at,  109  ;  effects  of  the, 
112  ;  list  of  shi]5S  engaged  in 
(Appendix),  326,  327  ;  com- 
parative force  of  the  two  squad- 
rons (Appendix),  328 

Nile,  the,  a  battle-ship  of  to-day 
(Appendix),  317  ;  compared 
with  the    Victory  (Apjiendix), 

333 
Nisbet,   Josiah,  a  lieutenant  on 
the  Theseus,  80  ;  with  Nelson 
at   Santa  Cruz,   81  ;  creates  a 
disturbance,  120 


Nisbet,  Mrs.  Fanny,  married  to 
Nelson,  35 

Niza,  Marquis  de,  commands 
Portuguese  squadron,  114  ; 
letter  from  Nelson  to,  1 14  ; 
blockades  Valetta,  125 

N'orthumherland,  the,  off  Valetta, 
151  ;  attacks  the  G/nireux, 
151  ;  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Martin,  168 

North  Walsham,  Nelson  at  school 
at,  3 

Norwich,  Nelson  at  high-school 
at,  3  ;  presented  with  a  sword 
by  Nelson,  77 

N^yburg,  the,  sunk  at  Copen- 
hagen, 195 


O 


Orde,  Sir  John,  remonstrates 
against  Nelson's  ap])ointment, 
91  ;  challenges  Lord  St.  Vin- 
cent, 91  ;  commands  a  squad- 
ron off  Cadiz,  245  ;  takes 
numerous  prizes,  245 

Order  of  St.  John  at  Malta,  an- 
nulled by  French  Government, 
124  ;  Grand  Master  of,  refuses 
French  demands,  124 

Order  of  the  Bath,  Nelson  invests 
Rear- Admiral  Graves  with,  204 

L' Orient,  at  battle  of  the  Nile, 
100  ;  between  two  fires,  loi  ; 
in  flames,  loi  ;  blows  up,  102 

Orion,  the,  in  the  advance  at 
Aboukir,  99 

Otto,  Citizen,  signs  the  prelimi- 
naries of  peace,  221 

Otway,  Captain  R.  W.,  demands 
the  surrender  of  the  Zealand, 

193 
Oxford,    Nelson   presented   with 
the  freedom  of  the  city  of,  220 


Paget,    Hon.     Arthur,    succeeds 
Sir  William  Hamilton,  158 


Index, 


353 


Palermo,  flight  of  the  Royal  Fam- 
ily to,  129  ;  receives  the  King 
of  Naples,  131  ;  Nelson  enter- 
tained at,  142 

Palisser,  Sir  Hugh,  succeeded  by 
Captain  Suckling,  13 

Palmas,  Gulf  of,  Nelson  shelters 
his  fleet  in    243  ;    returns   to, 

249 
Paoli,  a  Corsican  leader,  49 
Paria,  Gulf  of,  Nelson  at,  252 
Parker,  Captain  E.  T.,  assists  at 

the  investment  of  Graves,  204  ; 

meets  Nelson  in  London,  208  ; 

account    of     Nelson's    health, 

210  ;    repulsed    at    Boulogne, 

211  ;  fatally  wounded,  211  ; 
Nelson's  grief  at  the  death  of, 
213  ;  buried  at  Nelson's  cost, 
213 

Parker,  Lady,  nurses  Nelson,  20 

Parker,  Sir  Hyde,  commands 
British  fleet,  170 ;  communi- 
cates with  Elsineur,  173  ;  passes 
the  Sound,  173  ;  calls  a  council 
of  war,  175  ;  remains  at  anchor, 
176  ;  his  part  at  the  battle  of 
Copenhagen,  179  ;  unable  to 
help  Nelson,  183  ;  signals  to 
cease  action,  183  ;  sails  for  the 
Baltic,  197  ;  receives  pacific 
proposals,  201  ;  returns  to 
England,    201 

Parker,  Sir  Peter,  appoints  Nel- 
son to  the  Bristol,  1 7  ;  appoints 
Nelson  to  the  yamis,  20 

Parker,  Sir  William,  remonstrates 
against  Nelson's  appointment, 
91  ;  commands  the  Prince 
George,    92 

Parkinson,  Lieutenant,  intercedes 
with  Nelson,  139 

Parsons,  describes  Caracciolo, 
138  ;  story  of  the  rising  of 
Caracciolo's  body,  140  ;  ac- 
count of  the  action  off  Valetta, 

151 
Parthenopeian    Republic,     132  ; 
defeat  of  the  troops  of  the,  133 


Pasco,  Lieutenant,  Signal  Lieu- 
tenant on  the  Victory,  279  ; 
story  of  the  famous  signal,  282  ; 
wounded  at  Trafalgar,  295 

Passaro,  Cape  (Sicily),  Nelson 
falls  in  with  French  squadron 
off,  150 

Paul,  Emperor  of  Russia,  present 
to  Nelson,  113  ;  sequesters 
British  property,   169 

Peddieson  has  charge  of  Nelson's 
cofiin,  257 

Penelope,  the,  chases  Zf  Guillaume 
Tell,  156 

Perree,  Rear-Admiral,  commands 
a  French  squadron,  150 

Phipps,  Captain  Constantine 
John,  commands  the  Race- 
horse,   10 

Phcche,  the,  chases  French  frig- 
ates, 238  ;  signals  the  enemy's 
course,  274 

Pickle,  the,  brings  the  news  of 
Trafalgar  and  of  the  death  of 
Nelson,  309 

Pigott,  General,  captures  island 
of  Malta,  168 

Pilfold,  Lieutenant,  in  the  last 
boat  leaving  the  Sanlissima 
Trinidad,   304 

Polyphemus,  the,  in  the  battle  of 
Copenhagen,  180  ;  saves  the 
Isis  from  the  Provesteen  s  fire, 
182  ;  Nelson  orders  her  masts 
painted,  273 

Ponza  Islands  hoist  Sicilian 
colors,    132 

Popham,  Sir  Home,  raises  the 
Sea  Fencibles,  210 

Porquerolles,  island  of,  French 
ships  signalled  off,  238 

Port  Agro,  troops  disembarked 
at,  53 

Portland,  Duke  of,  62 

Porto  Ferrajo,  Nelson  proceeds 
to,  64  ;  occupied  by  Sir  Gil- 
bert Elliot,  66 

Port  Royal  (Jamaica),  Nelson 
commands  batteries  at,  18 


354 


Index. 


Portsmouth,  Nelson  sails  from, 
in  the  Vanguard,  89  ;  Nelson 
at,  225 

Portuguese  squadron,  the,  too 
late  to  join  Nelson  at  l)attle  of 
Nile,  114  ;  blockades  Valetta, 
125 

Prague,  incident  at,  161 

Prince,  the,  assists  in  destroying 
the  Santissiina  Trinidad,  303 

Prince  George,  Prince  William 
Henry  a  midshi])man  on  board 
the,  18  ;  Nelson  denounced  on 
board  of  the,  92 

Principe  de  Asturias,  the,  at 
Trafalgar,  277 

Pringle,  Captain  Thomas,  sails 
in  company  with  Nelson,  22  ; 
his  prediction  on  Nelson's  mar- 
riage, 35  ;  aids  Nelson,  41 

Procida  taken  possession  of,  132 

Provesieen,  the,  opens  the  battle 
of  Copenliagen,  180  ;  nearly 
destroys  the  his,  182  ;  taken 
and  burnt,  195 

Prowse,  Captain,  leaves  the  Vic- 
tory, 287 

Prussia  instigates  Denmark,  169 


Q 


Queen     Charlotte,    Lord    Keith's 
flag-ship,  150 


R 


Racehorse,  the  Arctic  voyage  of, 
10  ;  returns  to  England,  10 

Raisonnable,  the.  Captain  Suck- 
ling appointed  to,  5  ;  Nelson 
joins,  6  ;  out  of  commission,  8 

Ram,  Lieutenant,  desperately 
wounded  at  Trafalgar,  292  ; 
bleeds  to  death,  293 

Ramilies,  the,  hastens  the  sur- 
render of  the  Danish  ships,  188 

Ralhbone,  John,  8 

Redoutable,  the,  at  Trafalgar, 
288  ;  destructive  fire  of,  29J. ; 


attempts  to  board  the  Victory, 

294  ;    knocked   to   pieces   and 

sunk,  304 
Rennie,  Captain,  goes  down  in 

the  Invincible,  170 
Renown,  the,  cruises  off  Toulon, 

228  ;    opposed   to  the  Toulon 

fleet,  229 
Reiisburg,  the,  aground  and  burnt, 

195 
Revel    Roads,    Nelson   at,   201  ; 

ordered   to    leave,    202 ;    sails 

from,  202 
Richmond    Park,    Nelson    visits 

Lord  Sidmouth  at,  261 
Riou,  Captain,  dines  with  Nel- 
son,  178;    character  of,    179; 

attacks  the  Trekroner  battery, 

182;  wounded,  185;  dies,  185 
Riviera,  the,  of  Genoa,   Nelson 

despatched  to,  59 
Rivigliano  capitulates,  134 
Robinson,  Mark,  commands  the 

Worcester,  13 
Rodney,   Lord,  part  of  his  fleet 

at  New  York,  24 
Romulus,  the,  arrives  at  Gibraltar, 

66 
Rosetta,  roar  of  battle  of  the  Nile 

heard  at,  102 
Rostock,   Nelson's  reception  at, 

203 
Rotherham,  Captain,  ordered  to 

carry  away  the  bowsprit  of  the 

Fougueux,  285 
Round- Wood  purchased  by  Nel- 
son, 87 
Royal     Sovereign,      the,      under 

Collingwood's  command,  283  ; 

leads   the    fleet   at   Trafalgar, 

284  ;  attacks  the   Santa  Ana, 

285  ;  unsupported,  285  ;  Cape 
Trafalgar  seen  from,  301 

Ruffo,  Cardinal,  becomes  prom- 
inent, 133;  defeats  the  French, 
134;  signs  the  capitulation  of 
Castel  Nuovo,  135  ;  interview 
with  Nelson,  136 

Russell,  the,  aground  at  Copen,- 


Index. 


355 


hagen,  i8o  ;  flies  signal  of  dis- 
tress, I  S3 

Russian  fleet,  sought  for  by  Nel- 
son, 201  ;  sailed  for  Cronstadt, 
202 

Russia  resents  British  proceed- 
ings, 169 

S 

Salisbury,  reception  of  Nelson  at, 
166 

Sully,  the,  gives  Nelson  news  of 
the  French  fleet,  253 

Salt  Josef,  the,  attacked  by  the 
Captain,  71  ;  surrenders,  72 

San  Nicolas,  the,  attacked  and 
captured  by  the  Captain,  71 

Sans  Culotte  pursued  by  Admiral 
Hotham's  fleet,  57 

Santa  Ana,  the,  at  Trafalgar, 
277  ;  receives  the  broadside  of 
the  Royal  Sovereign  and  returns 
her  fire,  2S5 

Santa  Cruz,  attacked  by  Nelson, 
81  ;  failure  of  the  attack  on,  83 

Santa  Sabina,  the.  Nelson's  ac- 
tion with,  64  ;  capture  of, 
65  ;  retaken,  65 

Santissiina  IVinidad,  the  largest 
vessel  afloat,  69  ;  attacked  by 
Nelson  in  the  Captain,  70  ;  at 
Trafalgar,  277  ;  captured,  scut- 
tled, and  sunk,  303;herstrength 
at  Trafalgar  (Appendix),  321  ; 
compared  ^\'it]l  the  Victory 
(Appendix),  322 

Sardinia,  island  of,  action  off  the, 

47    _         . 

Sardinia,  King  of,  credits  a  scan- 
dalous report,  61 

Saumarez,  Sir  James,  second  in 
command  at  battle  of  the  Nile, 
97  ;  leaves  Aboukir  Bay  in 
command,  114  ;  supplies  the 
Maltese  with  arms,  126  ;  sum- 
mons the  French  to  surrender, 
126 

Scott,  John,  Nelson's  ofiicial  sec- 
retary, killed  at  Trafalgar,  287 


Scott,  Rev.  A.  J.,  D.I).,  2 
recollections  of  Nelson,  235 
extracts  from  diary  of,  249 
chaplain  on  the  I'ictory,  292 
distress  during  the  battle  of 
Trafalgar,  293  ;  account  of 
Nelson's  death,  299 

Seahorse,  the.  Nelson  joins,  11  ; 
forms  one  of  the  Teneriffe  ex- 
pedition, 80  ;  carries  Nelson 
home,  84  ;  under  command  of 
Captain  Foote,  133  ;  hauls 
down  her  flag  of  truce,  135  ; 
watches  off  Toulon,  247  ;  noti- 
fies Nelson  of  the  sailing  of  the 
Freneh  fleet,  247 

Sheerness,  the  Unite'  at,  209  ; 
Nelson's  reception  at,  210 ; 
Nelson  leaves,  for  Deal,  210 

Sheridan  reprobates  Lord  Hood's 
conduct,  48 

Shirley,  Sir  Thomas,  his  anger  at 
Nelson,  31 

Shot,  French  heavier  than  nom- 
inal weight  of  corresponding 
English  (Appendix),  323 

Siberia,  British  merchant  seamen 
transported  to  confines  of,   169 

Sicilies,  King  of  the  two,  pre- 
sents a  sword  to  Nekon,  113 

Sidmouth,  Lord,  asks  Nelson  to 
visit  him,  260 

Sirius,  the,  at  Trafalgar,  286 

Smith,  Collingwood's  servant, 
283;  account  of  his  master,  284 

Smith,  Sir  Sidney,  his  opinion  of 
rats  (note),  20 ;  appointed  to 
the  Ottoman  Court,  144  ;  dif- 
fers from  Nelson,  145  ;  bravery 
at  Acre,  146 

Smith,  Spencer,  letter  from  Nel- 
son, 146 

Smyth,  Admiral  W.  H.,  story  of 
the  voyage  to  Palermo,  129 

So/iesten,  the,  burnt  at  Copen- 
hagen, 195 

Somerville,  Captain,  fails  in  the 
attack  on  the  French  flotilla. 


;56 


Index. 


Sophia,  the,  intercepts  the  Span- 
ish frigates,  245 

Southey,  Robert,  opinion  of  Gen- 
eral Mack,  127  ;  on  the  flight 
of  their  Sicilian  Majesties,  128 

Souveraiii  Peuple,  Le,  surrenders 
at  battle  of  the  Nile,  100 

Spain,  at  war  with  England,  17  ; 
enters  into  an  alliance  with  the 
French  Directory,  63  ;  as- 
sembles a  large  force  at  Ferrol, 
244  ;  declares  war  against 
Great  Britain,  245 

Spartiate,  Le,  cut  up  at  battle  of 
the  Nile,  100  ;  attacked  by  the 
Vanguard,  106 

Spencer,  Earl,  Nelson's  letter  to, 
144 

Spithead,  Nelson  sails  from,  225  ; 
Nelson  returns  to,  257  ;  the 
Victory  with  Lord  Nelson's 
body  arrives  at,  307 

Staines,  Nelson  and  party  at,  208 

St.  Elmo,  held  by  the   French, 

134 

Stewart,  Colonel,  commands  the 
artillery  and  rifles  at  Copen- 
hagen, 170;  reconnoitres  the 
enemy,  173;  commands  the 
land  forces  at  Copenhagen, 
179;  account  of  Nelson's  per- 
sonal habits,  203 

St.  Fiorenzo,  Nelson  returns  to, 
58  ;  arrival  of  Sir  John  Jervis 
at,  62 

.S7.  George,  the,  Nelson's  flag-ship, 
170  ;  her  poor  condition,  170  ; 
Nelson  on  board  of,  190  ;  left 
at  Copenhagen,  197  ;  dis- 
charges lier  guns,  199  ;  at 
Rostock,  203  ;  last  cruise 
under  Nelson's  flag,  204 

St.  George's  Bay,  French  troops 
landed  at,  124 

St.  Omer  (France),  Nelson  at,  28 

St.  Philip,  General,  deserts  to 
the  French,  127 

St.  Pierre,  the  Vanguard  with 
Nelson  safe  at,  91 


Strachan,  Captain  Sir  Richard, 
ordered  to  intercept  Spanish 
frigates,  245 

Stuart,  Don  Jacobo,  commands 
the  Santa  Sabina,  64  ;  his  gal- 
lant fight,  65 

Stuart,  Sir  Charles,  with  Nelson 
at  Calvi,  53 

St.  Vincent,  battle  of,  70  ;  efifect 
of,  in  England,  75 

St.  Vincent,  Earl  of,  see  John 
Jervis 

Success,  the,  attacks  the  Gtfn&eux, 

151 

Suckling,  Captain  Maurice,  2  ; 
appointed  to  tlie  Raisonnable, 
3  ;  permits  Nelson  to  sail  with 
him,  3  ;  appointed  to  the  Tri- 
umph, 8  ;  Comjitroller  of  the 
Navy,  13  ;  at  Nelson's  exam- 
ination, 14 

Suckling,  William,  grants  Nel- 
son's request,  28  ;  Nelson 
praises  Airs.  Nisbet  to,  34  ; 
Nelson's  letter  to,  regarding 
Bastia,  51 

Suersishen,  the,  taken  and  burnt, 

195 

Superb,  the,  cruises  off  Toulon, 
228  ;  opposed  to  the  Toulon 
fleet,  229 ;  accompanies  the 
Victory  to  Portsmouth,  257 

Sutton,  Captain,  his  coolness,  63  ; 
letter  to  Lady  Hamilton,  245 

Swansea,  Nelson  dragged  in  tri- 
umph at,  221 

S7C'i/tsure,  the,  at  battle  of  the 
Nile,  no  ;  tows  the  Kedoutable 
after  Trafalgar,  304 

Sydney,  Viscount,  introduces 
Nelson  to  House  of  Lords,  217 

Sykes,  John,  saves  Nelson's  life, 

Syracuse,  the  British  fleet  at,  93  ; 
Nelson  visits,  158 

T 

Table  Bay,  Nelson's  description 
of,  217 


Index. 


357 


Tables,  318,  320-23,  325-33 

Tartar,  the,  falls  in  with  the 
Agamemnon,  43 

Tem/raire,  the,  ordered  to  take 
station  in  advance  of  the  Vic- 
tory, 281 

Teneriffe,  expedition  to,  79 

Terpsichore,  the,  sails  for  Tene- 
riffe, 80 

Tetuan  Bay,  Nelson  at,  249 

Theseus,  the,  Nelson  aboard  of 
77  ;  sails  for  Teneriffe,  80  ;  in 
the  van  at  Aboukir,  gg 

Thesiger,  Captain,  goes  ashore 
with  Nelson's  letter,  188 

Thomas,  Mr.  (of  Hawarden),  44 

Thompson,  Commodore,  rebuked 
by  Jervis,  26 

Thurn,  Count,  a  Neapolitan  com- 
modore, 138 

Tonnant,  at  battle  of  the  Nile, 
100 

Totty,  Rear-Admiral  Thomas, 
saved  at  loss  of  the  Invincible, 
170 

La  Touche-Treville,  Rear-Admi- 
ral, commands  French  flotilla, 
211  ;  commands  French  fleet 
at  Toulon,  228  ;  reports  Nel- 
son's flight,  238  ;  death  of, 
240  ;  French  eulogy  of,  240 

Toulon,  surrender  of,  43  ;  British 
fleet  off,  228  ;  French  fleet  at, 
reinforced,  22g  ;  French  fleet 
sails  from,  247 

Trafalgar,  battle  of,  285  ;  the 
greatest  and  most  costly  sea 
victory,  300 ;  origin  of  the 
name  of  the  battle,  301  ;  the 
immediate  result  of,  302  ;  im- 
portance of  the  victory,  305  ; 
how  England  received  the  news 
of,  3og  ;  tlie  victors  at,  voted  a 
money  compensation  for  prizes 
destroyed,  311  ;  list  of  ships 
engaged  (Appendix),  328-331 

Trafalgar  Cape,  gives  the  name 
to  Nelson's  victory,  301 

Trafalgar,  the,  a  modern  battle- 


ship (Appendix),  317  ;  com- 
pared with  the  Victory  (Appen- 
dix), 333 

Trapani,  the  French  fleet  sighted 
off,  g3 

Treaty,  between  Court  of  Madrid 
and  French  Directory,  64  ; 
bat  ween  Naples  and  France, 
93  ;  of  Amiens,  221 

Trekroner  battery,  the,  attacked 
by  the  British,  181  ;  its  guns 
rake  the  Amazon,  185  ;  its  fire 
silenced,  1S8 

Triumph,  the,  Captain  Suckling 
appointed  to,  8  ;  Nelson  joins 
the,  g  ;  opposed  to  the  Toulon 
fleet,  229 

Troubridge,  hastens  in  the  Cul- 
loden  to  Nelson's  assistance, 
7g ;  at  the  attack  on  Santa 
Cruz,  84  ;  reports  the  where- 
abouts of  the  French  fleet,  93  ; 
despatched  to  Naples,  94 ; 
distress  at  grounding  of  the 
Culloden,  104  ;  fits  his  ship  for 
service,  108  ;  sent  to  blockade 
Naples,  132  ;  takes  possession 
of  the  Ponza  Islands,  132  ; 
ordered  to  Palermo,  133  ;  pre- 
seiited  with  a  miniature,  142  ; 
attacks  Capua,  143  ;  arrives  off 
Malta,  148  ;  concern  for  Nel- 
son's health,  149  ;  hatred  of 
Neapolitans,  149  ;  ordered  to 
join  Nelson,  150  ;  commands 
squadron  off  Malta,  154  ;  Nel- 
son angry  with,  215 

Twiss,  General,  Nelson's  conver- 
sation with,  203 


U 


Unite',    the.    Nelson's    flag-ship, 
209 

V 

Vado  Bay,  Nelson's  fiery  propos- 
als respecting,  63 
Valetta,   action  off,   151  ;  block- 


358 


Index. 


aded  by  Nelson,  153  ;  surren- 
ders to  the  British,  168 
VanguarJ,  the  Nelson  appointed 
to  command  of,  89  ;  in  distress, 

90  ;  Captain  Ball  on  board  of, 

9 1  ;  ready  for  sea,  91  ;  prepa- 
ration on  board,  96  ;  meeting 
of  captains  on  board,  97  ;  I'lel- 
son  wounded  on  board  105  ; 
in  the  battle  of  the  Nile, 
106;  sails  for  Naples,  114; 
reception  at,  117  ;  her  boats  at 
the  evacuation  of  Naples,  12S  ; 
carries  the  royal  treasure,  129  ; 
sails  for  Palermo,  129  ;  her 
crew  receive  a  present  from 
the  King  of  Naples,  141 

Vaubois,  General,  commands  the 

French  at  Valetta,  125 
"  Vesuvian  Republic,"  132 
Victory,  the,  cheers  Nelson  at 
the  battle  of  St.  Vincent,  72  ; 
Nelson  hoists  his  flag  on  board 
of,  225  ;  shifts  his  flag  from, 
225  ;  falls  in  with  Channel 
fleet,  228  ;  Nelson  shifts  his 
flag  to,  228  ;  opposed  to  the 
Toulon  fleet,  229  ;  off  Hyeres, 
238  ;  proceeds  to  Portsmouth, 
257  ;  Nelson  goes  aboard,  266  ; 
joined  by  the  AJax  and  'J'hiin- 
derer,  266  ;  joins  the  fleet  off 
Cadiz,  267  ;  Nelson  addresses 
the  midshipmen  on  board, 
278  ;  the  captains  signalled  to 
come  on  hoard,  279  ;  leads  the 
column,  282  ;  flies  tlie  famous 
signal,  282  ;  floats  down  upon 
the  enemy,  286  ;  the  Bucen- 
taure  fires  the  first  shot  at, 
287  ;  under  a  tremendous  fire, 

287  ;  unable  to  return  the  fire, 

288  ;  coolness  and  courage  of 
her  crew,  289  ;  rakes  the  Bu- 
centaure,  289 ;  effect  of  her 
guns,  290  ;  attacks  the  Kedoti- 
iab/f,  290  ;  attempt  to  board, 
294  ;  repulses  the  French,  295  ; 
her  condition,  296  ;  arrives  at 


Gibraltar,  307  ;  arrives  at  Spit- 
head,  307  ;  Lord  Nelson's  flag 
struck  on  board,  308  ;  com- 
parison of  her  armament  with 
that  of  the  Santissi/na  7';7«i- 
^/rf(/ (Appendix),  322;  compared 
with  the  armored  ships  of  to- 
day (Appendix),  333 

Vienna,  Nelson  at,  160 

Villeneuve,  Vice-Admiral,  com- 
mands the  French  fleet,  244  ; 
puts  to  sea  from  Toulon,  247  ; 
driven  back  to  Toulon,  249  ; 
again  sets  sail  from  Toulon, 
249  ;  learns  of  Nelson's  arrival 
in  the  West  Indies,  252  ;  sets 
sail  for  Europe,  252 ;  reaches 
Cape  Finisterre,  253  ;  his  move- 
ments followed,  263  ;  com- 
mands the  centre  of  the  com- 
bined fleets,  274;  immeasurably 
beneath  his  destiny,  306 


W 


Wagner,    the,   taken  and  burnt, 

195 

Wallis,  purser  of  the  Elepliant, 
187 

Walpole,  Lady,  62 

Walpole,  Lord,  62 

Walpole,  Sir  Roliert,  2 

Walpole,  Galfridus,  2 

Wellesley,  Sir  Arthur,  see  Duke 
of  Wellington 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  meets 
Nelson,   258 

Welmoes,  his  bravery  at  Copen- 
hagen, 197 

Westphal,  Lieutenant,  wounded 
at  Trafalgar,  293 

Whitworth,  Lord,  despatched  to 
Court  of  Denmark,  168  ;  con- 
versation with  Buonaparte,  222 

William  Henry,  Prince,  Duke  of 
Clarence,  comjiarison  of  Nel- 
son with  Collingwood,  3  ;  en- 
ters the  navy,  18  ;  meets  with 
and     describes     Nelson,     25 ; 


Index. 


359 


encourages  Nelson's  marriage, 
35  ;  commands  ihe  Andromeda, 
41  ;  sheds  tears  at  Nelson's 
funeral,  314 
Woodward,  Dr.,  anecdote  of,  21 
Worcester,  the.  Nelson  as  Fourth 
Lieutenant  of,   13 


Yarmouth,  Nelson  arrives  at,  161 
Yarmouth    Roads,     British    fleet 
sail  from,    169 


Zealand,  the,  a  Danish  ship,  at 
the  battle  of  Copenhagen,  182  ; 
story  of  the  flag  of,  193  ;  burnt, 

195 
Zealous,  the,  forms  one  of  the 
Teneriffe  expedition,  80  ;  Cap- 
tain Hood,  of  the,  signals  the 
French  fleet,  96  ;  in  the  van  at 
Aboukir,  99  ;  pursues  the  flying 
French,  105 


Iberoes  of  tbe  Bations. 


EDITED    BY 


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